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Wom&e to Sbotttti ^tuetlca, 



AN ACCOUNT OF A SHIPWRECK 



THIS RIVER LA PLATA? 



THE YEAR 1817. 



i$S tJve Sole Surfoffccr* 

a 



' . i? 



BOSTON: X* 

PRINTED BY INGRAHAM AND HEW^f / -t 

1826. 




I 



M/#£ 



PREFACE. 



The haste in which the former edition 
of this little journal was written and sent 
to the press, produced several errors and 
omissions, which, in this, I have endea- 
vored to correct and supply ; adding, also, 
a short account of the situation, popula- 
tion and customs of those places mention- 
ed in the narrative. 

No spectacle on earth, perhaps, which 
the eye of man can witness, is fraught 
with so much interest, sublimity and 
terror, and no situation is so awful and 
appalling, as a midnight shipwreck at sea. 
In my youth, I read, with unsatiated 
avidity, the voyages and disasters of the 
adventurous seaman, and I believe the 
desire for such information is planted in 
every human heart. 

The remarkable event of one only sur- 



IV 

viving, in a total shipwreck, naturally 
awakens a curiosity to learn the particu- 
lars, and by what extra chances he alone 
fortunately reached the shore. The fol- 
lowing is a tale of this complexion, 

< Torn from the bosom of the raging sea. J 

A few words in its defence are now 
necessary. Several persons have indi- 
rectly expressed their disbelief, totally or 
in part, of the events I hate related, and 
have probably been so induced, from a 
few strained expressions which occur in 
the relation. These should have been 
overlooked in a tale which should have 
been penned with 

4 Thoughts that breathe and' words that burn. 1 

That a ship of the name and descrip- 
tion mentioned in these pages, sailed 
from such port, at such time, with such 
a company, and freighted with such a 
cargo, as I have described; that said ship 
never reached her port of destination; 
and that some time afterwards, the wreck 



of a large vessel was discovered on the 
shores of the La Plata 5 are facts which 
no one, I presume, will deny, for they 
can be easily and readily proved. If thus 
far is admitted, what remains to doubt ? 

It is the events, then, related in the in- 
terim, in which I was ultimately, and for 
some days, sole actor, which savors of 
the marvellous. But is it so incredible, 
that in a storm where twenty two perish- 
ed in a short time and in a fearful man- 
ner, and but one escaped, that that one 
should be beset with peril, should win his 
way, with great difficulty, to the shore, 
and suffer the disasters he has attempted 
to describe ? I have said thus much to 
destroy these surmises, which, though 
indirect and untenable, are grating to the 
feelings. The nature of this part of the 
case precluding the possibility of ocular 
evidence, I can only pledge, in support 
of its truth, my word of honor. All else 
relating to the ship may be confirmed by 
the testimony of several gentlemen now 



VI 



living in neighboring towns, who were 
merchants resident at Buenos Ayres at 
the time, and who were well acquainted 
with the transactions, which were never 
doubted there. But enough — while oth- 
ers may stagger at the story, and wonder 
that he alone should survive ; with him, 
that he escaped at all, will be the theme 
of the greatest wonder, and of the deep- 
est gratitude, 

GEORGE FRACKER 



HAmm^rm 



I sailed from New York in the ship Ocean f 
Captain. F., October, 1816, for the River of Plate. 
The patriot consul from the republic of Buenos 
Ay res, resident there, had contracted with and en- 
gaged a French officer of rank, with eighteen oth- 
ers, who were under his direction, for the service of 
his government. This personage had been formerly 
a colonel under Bonaparte, and commanded a regi- 
ment of Polish lancers — himself, by birth a Pole, 
He had accompanied Napoleon to Plymouth in the 
Bellorephon, and being denied a passage with him 
to St. Helena, left England, and sailed, with seve- 
ral inferior officers, to the United States. Here 
they were engaged, as before mentioned, by the 
envoy. Our ship was fitted out for their reception, 
and owned by Mr. H., then high sheriff of New 
York. Besides these, we had eight other French- 
men as passengers, who were mechanics, architects, 
&,c, and three Americans, comprising, with the 
ship's crew, a goodly company of about forty seven 
persons. We loosed the sails, with a moderate 
breeze and fair, though somewhat hazy. Nothing 
material occurred till the third day out, when we 



8 

experienced a storm, which lasted, with great vio- 
lence, about three hours; about dark it abated. 
We had got the ship under snug sail, and wearied 
with the labor of the day, I retired with the chief 
mate below, intending to broach a wine pipe, of 
which we had two stowed on end, under the after 
hatchway, to drink farewell to CKir homes and suc- 
cess to our ship. On proceeding from the cabin, 
through a passage to the steerage, we discovered 
by the lantern, a face which I had not before recog- 
nised on board. The man was decently dressed, 
sitting between the water casks, picking a bone. 
On being interrogated, he told us he was an Irish- 
man, of the name of 0*Brien; that bad luck had 
brought him there, having lost his money; and that 
he had smuggled himself on board. I acquainted 
the captain with the discovery, and the affair ter- 
minated by setting him to work as cook's mate; in 
which capacity he afterwards proved a very useful 
fellow. The interference of the French passengers 
in the affairs of the ship, gave us much trouble, for 
which the tars paid themselves on crossing the line. 
It had been reported in the papers of the day, at 
New York, previous to our sailing, that the Portu- 
guese had declared war against the patriots of the 
La Plata, had seized on Monte Video, and were 
blockading the port of Buenos Ayres. On Sunday 
morning, eighty two days out, we passed Monte Vi- 
deo, in full sight, with a stiff breeze. The day was 
bright and beautiful, and the appearance of this 



walled city as we were borne along upon the bosom 
of the majestic La Plata, was to us, whoso long 
had seen nothing but the ocean and the sky, highly 
gratifying. Abreast of the harbor, lay a Portuguese 
seventy four and several frigates; we ran within 
cannon shot of the former, she firing one gun, which 
we did not regard, but continued our course in an 
oblique direction across the river, to gain the south 
channel. About four, P. M., we discovered the op- 
posite shore, and ran within three miles of it, when 
we struck upon a shoal; the bottom, fortunately, 
was of soft mud, though the swell of the sea caused 
the ship to strike very heavily. We imagined it to 
be the Chico Bank, as we thought Point India 
Shoal, which, in fact, we were thumping upon, 
could not extend so far from the land; the helms- 
man was therefore ordered to keep the ship's head 
in shore, in order to pass between the bank and the 
main; but this movement soon caused her to strike 
so heavily as to throw three or four off their legs, 
and much alarmed the passengers. On perceiving 
our error, we immediately braced round the sails 
and steered off shore, and after striking again sev- 
eral times, found ourselves once more in deep water. 
The navigation at this part of the river is very dif- 
ficult and dangerous. Night approaching, we soon 
after lessened sail and came to anchor in about ten 
fathoms, and remained thus for the night. 

At day break we again loosened the sails and 
proceeded up the river. Capt. F. and the general 



10 

were upon the look-out aloft, greatly anxious for 
the result of this day's proceedings; the Frenchmen 
dreading the Portuguese, and expecting hourly to 
be boarded by a man of war and taken prisoners, 
and the captain also concerned for the safety of his 
ship. At ten, A. M., they discovered, from aloft, 
several vessels, far ahead, which, enveloped partly 
in the floating mist of the morning, loomed like 
men of war. The merchant vessels in the outer 
roads of Buenos Ayres are discovered before you 
can see the city, from which they are distant eight 
or ten miles; where, also, is stationed, at all times, 
an English frigate or sloop of war. These, I assur- 
ed the agitated Frenchmen, were the ships they 
now saw; but their fears construed them into the 
dreaded Portuguese squadron, and their opinion 
could not be shaken. The captain ordered the ship 
to be brought to. The sails were clued up, the an- 
chor dropped, and the long boat hoisted out and got 
alongside. While doing this, I was sent for in the 
cabin, where the captain requested me to get in 
readiness, with four men, to go in the boat and take 
the French officers on shore. They seemed con- 
vinced, he said, that the ships ahead are enemies, 
and are willing to take the chance of landing here, 
rather than to fall into their hands. I received 
some dollars to pay expenses, immediately muster- 
ed the baggage of the soldiers, and with the general 
ar^d nine others, pushed off from the ship and made 
for the shore-j distant about five miles. We landed 



11 

about four, P. M., running the boat on the beach, 
as she had leaked half full of water, and commenc- 
ed unlading the cargo, which comprised all the offi- 
cers' trunks, bedding, armour, side arms, &c, and 
a small stock of provisions. These were carried 
through the bushes to an elevated spot, where there 
grew a thicket of small sized trees, by the help of 
which, the passengers began to erect a kind of ar- 
bor, while I left them, with two of the seamen, to 
explore the country, which, probably, before we 
landed, the human foot had never trod. The soil 
we found very wet, and almost impenetrable from 
the thick growth of tall reeds. I saw, over the 
rushes, afar off, a rising ground and a tree, and 
thinking it would be a good place for further obser- 
vations, I resolved to gain it. Our only method of 
advancing was by parting the rushes on each side 
with our arms, and breaking through the bushes or 
creeping under the small trees, which grew here in 
the thick luxuriance of unmolested nature. But for 
the greatest distance, our only method of progress- 
ing was, to lay ourselves at length on the rushes 
and pressing them to the ground, to proceed again 
alternately. We gained, at last, the desired -emi- 
nence, and I ascended the tree, but could perceive 
nothing of a habitation or cattle, though we had 
seen the prints of animals' feet. 

By the time we returned, we found the wind, 
which had been increasing, now blew a gale on 
shore; a large surf was rolling in upon the beach, 



12 

which at once convinced us of the impossibility of 
making our way through it in our leaky boat, back 
to the ship; we were therefore compelled to make 
the best of necessity, and to remain on shore; I 
directed the men to bring the boat into a small 
cove which made into the land, and the anchor to 
be carried up the beach and secured. She then 
rode in her little bay in safety. It now began to 
thicken around and to grow dark and tempestuous, 
which urged us to turn our thoughts to the means 
of shelter and comfort, during what foreboded a 
dreary, cold and stormy night. We took a scanty 
supper of some cold ham and ship bread, and one 
bottle of brandy, which nearly consumed our stock 
of provisions ; then, at the suggestion of the gene- 
ral, all hands turned to in cutting down armfuls of 
the long rushes which grew so thick around, to 
serve for beds, and in breaking down the branches 
of decayed trees, &c, for fuel. The ground was 
every where very wet, and no dry spot could be 
found.; these rushes we strewed very thickly on the 
ground, in the most open place we could find, in 
the form of a circle, upon which we were to repose. 
In the centre of this we made half a dozen large 
fires, and then set the watch, myself and four sea- 
men, as we concluded to let the soldiers do as best 
pleased them, which watch was to commence at 
twelve, midnight, till which time I was to keep 
guard; after which, the sailors two hours each, till 
morning. This was necessary in order to keep the 



13 

fires replenished, for it was freezing cold, to pro- 
tect us from wild beasts, and to take care of our 
boat. At twelve I called the next in turn and laid 
down, to try the experiment, if weariness could re- 
pose upon a flint, for I had a stone for my pillow^ 
or what was worse, upon the wet ground. I had 
no outside covering, neither had the seamen, but 
labor compelled us to sleep. I awoke about day- 
light, and my feelings were indiscribable; the morn- 
ing was boisterous, the fires were wholly extinct, 
and had been so a long time. The men from fa- 
tigue had fallen into a deep sleep, and snoring 
around. I attempted to rise, but Was surprised to 
find my limbs so stiff and nerveless; my senses too 
seemed almost as stiff as my bones, I felt light 
headed, and half crazy, the effect of sleeping on 
wet ground. I walked round in search of the gen- 
eral, who was lying with his associates in a cluster^ 
on the opposite side of the fires, well sheltered from 
the severity of the night and the earth, by their 
mattresses, and ample coverings of surtouts, cloaks 
and wrappers. I acquainted him of my intention 
of returning on board the ship. He then pencil- 
led a note to Captain F. informing him he was re- 
solved to endeavor to penetrate by land to Ense- 
nada, and from whence, should he arrive there, to 
send down a conveyance for his men. We then 
pushed off with the boat, and after a long and strong 
pull reached the ship; on entering on board we found 
but two men, the captain and cook; the seamen 
2 



14 

wearied by the preceding night's fatigue, had turned 
in. Many congratulations passed at meeting again, 
with the seamen, as each party knew it had been a 
hard night to both. A part of one cable was haul- 
ed in upon the forecastle. The captain informed 
me he had lost the best bower, and was resolved to 
remain no longer in the river with but one anchor; 
he requested me, therefore, to take the remaining 
Frenchmen on shore and make for Ensenada by 
land or water, as soon as convenient. As the wind 
was fair up the river, he should directly weigh and 
set sail, stating that if once rid of the troublesome 
Frenchmen he had nothing to fear. 

The remaining party was soon collected and 
seemed unwilling to go on shore through fear of 
falling into Portuguese hands. These we likewise 
landed on the beach, being all the French passen- 
gers. The ship immediately threw out her sails 
and was soon out of sight. Most of these officers 
had been troublesome guests, and were discontent- 
ed, insolent, and heartily disliked by the ship's com- 
pany; but one of a captain's rank, was of a different 
mould; he was frank and intelligent, fine form and 
features, and by his gentlemanly deportment, and 
many virtues, had endeared himself throughout the 
passage to us Americans. To him, in Spanish, on 
stepping on shore, I addressed myself relative to 
our situation and prospects. The general with his 
servant had left them in the morning to penetrate 
his way to Ensenada, as before intended. While 



15 

speaking to this officer, a quarrel had arisen be- 
tween his comrades and the four sailors, which we 
endeavored to quell. The captain remonstrated in 
vain, and they had proceeded to blows, and the 
first party being now joined by the others, were 
running for their arms, which hung on the arbor 
above, and serious consequences were likely to en- 
sue. I therefore deemed it prudent to leave them 
to their fate, and hastily shook hands with my 
friend, and ordered the men to jump into the boat 
and pull away. It was instantly done, and we had 
gained a considerable distance before our adversa- 
ries had reached the beach. Astonished at this 
sadden and unexpected movement, they hallooed 
and loaded us with threats and imprecations; but 
disregarding all, we laid in our oars, and hoisted a 
large lug mainsail, and kept foaming on our way, 
the wind being fresh and fair; and shaping our 
course for Ensenada, we kept steadily along 
the shore, though at a considerable distance from 
it, on account of shoals. I had previously been in 
the above place four years before, in 1812; I was 
well acquainted with the entrance, the several 
creeks, and a number of the villagers. In a short 
time after our departure with the boat, while sail- 
ing rapidly with a stiff breeze, one of our men dis- 
covered abreast of us, on a pole, a signal of a white 
handkerchief, displayed in one of the nooks or wind- 
ings of the beach. I directly stood in shore to as- 
certain what was meant, and as we neared the 



16 

strand, we discovered to our great surprise, the 
party of artizans which we had last landed from 
the ship, and who had left us immediately on land- 
ing, to plod their way on foot along shore, to our 
place of destination. So great was their eagerness 
to reach the boat, that many waded up to their 
chins in water, and nearly capsized us in their hur- 
ry to tumble on board. They gave us a direful ac- 
count of their progress over the rocks, puddles, 
flints, &c. of the beach, having to trudge barefoot, 
with their shoes in their hands, as the ground was 
so interrupted and broken, that they were often up 
mid-deep in water in wading from one point of land 
to another. Indeed the contortions of faces, and 
lacerated feet, gave strong evidence of very rough 
treatment. After a rapid run of about an hour, we 
saw the entrance of Ensenada, and by cutting 
through a small creek across a point of land, soon 
found ourselves in the channel; by the appearance 
of the rushes it was nearly high water, and we soon 
pulled up along side of a dismantled ship, and saw 
several others. I directly ascended on board, but 
found no one on deck j on entering the cabin, I saw at 
the bottom of the companion way, a foreigner smok- 
ing his cigaro de papel. I inquired in Spanish what 
ship, &c. and if the Portuguese were blockading Bue- 
nos Ayres? 'Nothing like it,' he answered in Portu- 
guese, but that they had possession of Montevideo, 
and a small squadron there. Highly gratified with 
this intelligence, and eased of our apprehensions, we 



17 

left her and struck into a small creek which led up 
to the village; here we lowered the mainsail, and 
took to the oars, as the creeks are here very irreg- 
ular and narrow, and we in rowing struck each 
bank with our oars. After pulling about a quarter 
of a mile, we fell in with a boat with two persons 
in the stern, and rowed by two seamen, who, with 
the boat, looked like American. I instantly recog- 
nised one of the gentlemen as a Mr. B., who I had 
formerly been well acquainted with in Buenos Ayres. 
'Where in the name of wonder, my friend,' he asked, 
'are you from, with that dismal set of fellows?' 
'From New York,' I replied. 'What! in that boat?' 
(for he had seen no ship) 'Oh no! we landed a 
score of Frenchmen about four leagues below, for 
fear of the Portuguese, and the passengers are 
some of them, which we picked up along shore.' 
The boats were now alongside together, and my 
friend B. introduced me to Captain B., of the ship 
A., of Baltimore, then lying in the channel waiting 
freight. He advised me to proceed to the captain 
of the port, Mr. J., to whose house they were then 
going, and report myself. I thought myself fortu- 
nate in falling in, by chance, with such good com- 
pany, and on landing, we took the direct path to 
the captain of the port's house. This part of the 
country is extremely low and level, insomuch as 
two feet above the usual tides would inundate the 
country for many miles around. The houses are 
thinly scattered^ and the people sociable and friend- 



18 

Iy. But I shall defer a further description for the 
present, and continue the story. To this officer, 
the captain of the port, the second in consequence 
in the village, and an American, I introduced my- 
self, and briefly related the occurrences which 
brought us into Ensenada; after some conversation, 
we proceeded towards the landing place to procure 
accommodations for the men, whom I left in the 
boat, awaiting my return. In passing by a pulperia, 
or small tavern, (where they sell groceries, and can 
occasionally supply beds and victuals to the lower 
classes) we were soon apprised by their noisy shouts 
of mirth, that they were within, regaling themselves 
upon the publican's vino-carlon and sausages, and 
congratulating themselves on falling in with so snug 
a birth after the stormy nights at sea. The port 
officer agreed with the pulpero for the daily supply 
and lodgings for the men while we should remain at 
Ensenada. From thence we visited the command- 
ant, who lived about half a mile from the creek. 
Here we found a small party of soldiers, through 
which we passed, and were ushered into the pre- 
sence of the chief magistrate. He appeared to be 
about fifty years of age, very corpulent, with a fat, 
contented face. After hearing the story, every 
thing was in motion. The landing, within his juris- 
diction, of a score of friends from America, was an 
important affair, and happened but rarely in this 
quiet village, where, in general, the greatest stretch 
of his abilities and power consisted in stifling the 



19 

tumultuous rows of the sailors from the ships, on 
Sundays, or signing passports for Buenos Ayres, 
In conjunction with Mr. J., he procured guides, 
horses, riders and carts, to proceed in search of the 
abandoned party. As they were officers sent out by 
the consul for the patriot army, he wisely consider- 
ed they had a claim upon his services and assist- 
ance. 

The next morning at day break, the caravan of 
carts set out from the magistrate's in quest of the 
absent party, with orders to lose no time, but to 
proceed till they found them, and to bring them to 
his house forthwith. I now took up my abode at 
the house of Mr. J., where I remained during my 
stay in this place. During the forenoon of the fol- 
lowing day, the carts returned with the wanderers. 
They were found in a miserable plight, near a 
swamp, from which they had just extricated them- 
selves, covered with sweat and mud, and nearly ex- 
hausted from fatigue and hunger. They were kept 
partially guarded at the commandant's house till an 
answer to his express should arrive from Buenos 
Ayres, to which place he had written, relating the 
strange manner of their falling into his hands. On 
the evening of the third day, the much expected 
letters arrived. The captain of the port had in- 
structions to permit myself and crew to depart at 
pleasure, and the commandant had directions to pay 
every attention to the French officers, and to fur- 



20 

nish means to conduct them to Buenos Ayres. 
Early the next morning, receiving a passport from 
the captain of the port, and a small basket of pro- 
visions, to which we added a jug of wine and keg of 
water, we started in our boat, (myself and the four 
seamen) for Buenos Ayres. We pilled away at the 
oars for about three miles, till we had doubled a 
point of land, when we hoisted a sail, and were able, 
with the wind, to make a stretch up the river. We 
kept wholly along shore, and in about five hours 
sail, discerned the merchantmen in the offing of 
Buenos Ayres, and passed the English frigate and 
native guard brig without molestation. After pass- 
ing the small craft in the inner roads to windward, 
in a passage of six and a half hours, we landed at 
the Mole-Head. This is the only landing place, 
saving the custom house, of the port. There are no 
piers or wharves, and the shore, or river side, is whol- 
ly occupied by washer-women, who line the whole 
surface of the beach, and who, w r ith their black 
limbs and snow-white clothes spread around, pre- 
sent a busy and singular appearance. I procured 
lodgings for the men at a house in the street near 
the beach, and then went in search of the captain, 
who I presumed was ashore, as we had seen the 
ship in the outer roads; but he had not yet landed. 
In the afternoon, however, I fell in with him near 
the Mole, having just landed. In the morning a 
- pilot was procured and we went on board; and that 



21 

day the ship, after losing her long boat, which filled 
and swamped while under way, and broke her fast, 
was brought in to an anchor in the inner roads. 

On the twenty second of February, Washington's 
birth day, a phenomenon took place at Buenos 
Ayres, which will ever be remembered by those 
who witnessed it, and which I believe has never 
been recorded. On the morning of that day, while 
lying off from the shore about three quarters of a 
mile — the men being employed, as usual, in washing 
the decks, being about half past seven, and the sun 
two hours high — 'Jack,' says one of the men to his 
shipmate, after he had thrown his bucket of water, 
and was observing the weather, 'what means that 
cloud of dust in the wake of the town, yonder?' 
Before the question could be answered by his com- 
rade, however, the uncommon appearance of this 
dense body of dust, and the wild appearance of the 
sky, had rivetted the eyes of all on board. 'Stand 
by the cable tier!' vociferated the chief mate; 'jump 
down and be ready to pay out — bear a hand, my 
hearties, here's a pampero coming, driving the 
world before him.' The black cloud of dust now 
rising and expanding in awful grandeur, and ex- 
tending over half the horizon, rapidly approached 
us, immediately followed by an immense shroud of 
impenetrable darkness, which rose beneath and fol- 
lowed it. As the ship lay broadside to the shore ? 
I was proceeding from midships to the helm, in 
order to bring her head to wind; but I was arrest- 



22 

ed in my progress by total darkness and the tre~ 
mendous blast, which at once, struck the ship and 
nearly capsized her, and had to secure myself by 
clenching the railing. This is indeed a phenomenon, 
I exclaimed to the chief mate; what comes next? 
but astonishment kept him and all others deprived, 
for the time, of speech. Here, for a few moments, 
was a grand and awfully sublime spectacle; on one 
side of us was a body of almost palpable darkness, 
and on the other, the fair light of heaven. Expect- 
ing momently to be blown to the other regions, we 
waited, breathlessly, the result of this wonder of 
nature for about twenty minutes, when the field of 
darkness passed through, and was driven beyond us 
to the other side, and in its vacancy the light slowly 
returned; thus we had repeatedly light on one side 
and darkness on the other. On discerning the fea- 
tures of each other, we were surprised at their 
ludicrous complexion; a sooty black dust had over- 
spread our faces, and rendered our appearance like 
that of negroes. On recovering from our surprise, 
we found we had sustained no other damage than 
dragging our anchors a few cables length; but other 
vessels, near us before, we scarcely could recognise, 
they had drifted so far. The remainder of the day 
■was boisterous and rainy, attended with heavy 
thunder and lightning. The sailors considered this 
event as a voice of Providence, and the carpenter 
piously believed it a judgment on the sinful inhabi- 
tants of the land. In the city, a greater degree of 



23 

consternation prevailed. Many, at the time, were 
in the streets, going and returning from market; 
but the sudden absence of light compelled every one 
to remain as he was caught, with caravans of mules, 
droves of horses, &c, while milk boys, priests and 
begging friars, dropped on their knees and earnestly 
implored the protection of the saints. 

In April, the ship having altered her destination^ 
I obtained a release, not choosing to return home, 
and desirous of seeing more of the world. Soon 
after, meeting with an old acquaintance, a sea cap- 
tain, he proposed to me a birth in a good ship, soon 
to sail to Valparaiso, in the Pacific, doubling Cape 
Horn, and from thence westwardly to Canton, and 
returning by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, 
thus completing the circumnavigation of the globe, 
or the sailing round the world. This was just what 
I wished, and which would occupy, probably, twen- 
ty or twenty four months. While making prepara- 
tions, however, news arrived from the Pacific, 
detrimental to the sale of the cargo they were re- 
ceiving on board, which was matte or yerba, (Pa- 
raguay tea) which they were obliged to discharge; 
and much to my mortification the voyage was al- 
tered. In the month of May, however, I entered 
as second officer on board of this ship, the Jane, 
Captain William Seaboth, bound to Brazil, with a 
cargo of hides. Our departure was sometime re- 
tarded by striking on the bar, in going out, which 
damaged our rudder and detained us nearly six 



24. 

weeks. Towards the middle of June, however, we 
again set sail, and after a pleasant passage of twen- 
ty days, came to anchor in the harbor of Rio Ja- 
neiro. Here we had to remain nearly two months, 
for freight. We succeeded at last in procuring it> 
consisting of nearly two hundred pipes of wine, 
several hundred barrels of flour, tobacco in baskets, 
crockery ware, dry goods, salmon and Irish butter 
in kegs, salchina, or salt pork, which is the side 
of a hog rolled up hard and put in a basket of the 
shape of a meal bag, &c. &c; a very full cargo. 
We had on board five passengers, two of them 
Spaniards, a German, an Englishman and an Amer- 
ican, as follows: Senior Monasteria, an eminent 
engineer, whose wife and four children were living 
in Buenos Ayres, of which he was a valuable citizen, 
aged about forty five; Senior Barras, a resident of 
Rio, of a weak constitution, who had undertaken 
this passage on account of his low state of health, 
and about twenty years of age. On the day of our 
departure from Rio, his father, an aged Spaniard, 
who resided there, came on board to see that every 
thing was prepared for his comfort, and to take a 
farewell of his only son. Mynheer Mann, a Ger- 
man gentleman, who had been for some years a 
resident of Rio Janeiro, and bad before freighted 
vessels and taken passage in them from thence to 
Monte Yideo; he was a man of middle age, of pre- 
possessing appearance, a gentleman and a scholar, 
and possessing the milk of human kindness in an 



25 

eminent degree. Francis Summers, a North Briton, 
aged about thirty, who had likewise long resided in 
Buenos Ayres, Monte Yideo, and Rio Janeiro, and 
had many acquaintances in all those places; he was 
strong and athlectic, of enterprising habits, and his 
loss was deeply lamented. Lastly, Mr. Tiernay, 
an American, (naturalized) who, I believe, was a 
native of France, the language of which he spoke 
with ease; he was a large and well proportioned 
man, of great information, and easy and sociable 
manners. He had left Baltimore about a year pre- 
vious, with a freight, which he advantageously dis- 
posed of at Rio, and on the arrival of the Union, 
Captain P., of Boston, purchased about four hun- 
dred barrels of flour and put on board of our vessel, 
which would have brought a great price at Monte 
Video had our ship reached the port. 

Our captain was by birth a Dane, a large and cor- 
pulent man, a perpetual smoker, a great eater, 
drank nothing but water, talked but little and play- 
ed admirably upon the piano forte, having one in 
his state room. He was a man of a most phlegmatic 
and easy temper, upon which fair weather or foul, 
bad luck or good, could make no perceptible im- 
pression. The slaves were freshly imported, un- 
tamed sons of Angola; the seamen, (Swedes and 
Englishmen) much like all other sailors, careless, 
illiterate, rough and honest. We were plentifully 
stocked with provisions and liquors of all kinds, 
such as wine, oranges, poultry, pigs, two goats for 
3 



26 

milking, three monkies for mischief, a dog, a cat, 
and about twenty parrots and paraquitos c Thus 
comfortably provided, in the morning of the third 
of September, 1817, we were wafted out of the 
harbor by a cheering breeze from the land, in com- 
pany with six or eight sail of large Portuguese In- 
diamen, two English ships for Lima, an English 
schooner for Monte Yideo, and an American ship 
(the Diomede, of Salem, Captain Page) for Buenos 
Ayres, and several coasting sumacos. 

The view of this part cf the Coast of Brazil, near 
the entrance of this harbor is, perhaps, no where 
surpassed in point of majestic grandeur and beauty. 
The cloud capp't — but of this in another place. 
Nothing of consequence occurred during the pas- 
sage, till within about fifty leagues of the mouth of 
the La Plata. About ten, A. M., on the fourteenth 
of September, a man at work aloft arrested the 
dull, monotonous sounds of the winds and waves, 
by the cry of sail ho ! It was the first time we had 
heard that ever welcome exclamation, and we were 
eager now to approach and hail the supposed ves- 
sel. The helmsman was directed to keep in a di- 
rect course for the sail. With a stiff breeze and 
fair wind we rapidly neared it, when it began to 
assume a different appearance — the sails and masts 
were no longer visible. The hull, however, was still 
plainly seen, and looked like the wreck of some 
large vessel, and some, by the help of glasses, af- 
firmed they could distinctly perceive her broken 



21 

timbers. This was the general belief, nor were we 
undeceived till we were within hail of it, when the 
supposed hull of a foundered frigate, proved to be 
but the wreck of a prodigious South Atlantic whale! 
From his appearance, he had been dead a long 
while; he had opened, on the upper surface, his 
whole length, and presented an immense yawning 
breach, on each side of which, appeared his large 
ribs and bones. He lay in an inclined position, 
which prevented the swelling surge from entering 
and filling him, though it would dash in a foam 
around him; this gave him, even at a moderate dis- 
tance, the appearance of a large wreck. A vast 
number of sea birds had alighted upon him, and 
with large shoals of various fish, were eagerly as- 
sisting to devour him. 

The next day we fell in with and spoke the En- 
glish brig Mary, from Liverpool, bound to Buenos 
Ayres, seventy three days out. It being about me- 
ridian, with fair weather and smooth sea, we gave 
the captain an invitation to dine with us, which he 
accepted; and, accordingly, we backed topsails and 
lay too, the brig doing the same, when we lowered 
the boat from the stern, conducted him on board 
of us, hoisted up the boat, filled the sails again and 
then bore away. This commander was dressed, as 
English captains frequently are at sea, in a check 
shirt, short jacket, leather cap, and tarry trowsers. 
A novice could not have distinguished him from one 
of his crew; he was, however, sociable and friendly, 



28 

had brought a fine large Cheshire cheese with hiro ? 
and took in return a half dozen of wine. The next 
day we lost sight of him, he being light and a faster 
sailer. The morning was rather hazy when we en- 
tered the river, which we knew we were in, by the 
changed color of the water. The land was soon 
plainly seen, stretching low from Cape St. Mary 
up the river, with the sandy beaches, trees, and 
hills. We passed Lobos, or Seal Island, about nine, 
A. M. These seals or sea wolves appeared at this 
time in greater numbers here, than I had ever seen 
them. We passed Moldonado, a small town, about 
eleven — continuing our course up the river with a 
light but fair wind, till towards sunset, when the 
fog still becoming more dense, the wind increasing 
and night approaching, it was determined to haul 
off shore for several miles, and thus gain an offing 
for anchorage during the night. We accordingly 
came to anchor about fifteen miles below Monte 
Video, our first destined port to the leeward of 
Fiores, or Isle of Flowers — the wind now blowing 
fresh from the south east. At eight o'clock, the 
gale increasing very fast, we payed out a long scope 
of cable, and she seemed for the present to ride 
easy, and with much less straining. Between this 
time and nine o'clock, while supper was preparing 
below, and the crew in the forecastle, the captain 
and myself, with his inseparable solace, a cigar, 
were walking the quarter deck, balancing ourselves 
to the roll and plunges and lurches of the vessel; 



29 

conversing upon the events of the passage, the 
character of our passengers, and on the happy pros- 
pects of breakfasting next morning in Monte Yideo. 
In concluding the conversation, Captain S., after 
looking around upon the portentous sky and trou- 
bled waves, made the following memorable observa- 
tion. 'But keep a good look out to-night, Mr. F., 
and tend well the cable, for if we drive ashore here, 
we are all lost.' We then descended the cabin, 
giving charge to the watch, and sat down with light 
and still happy hearts, to supper. Happy were 
we all in the idea of being so near the end of our 
voyage — but how unconscious that the supper we 
partook of, was the last to be taken, and that six 
brief hours should end the voyage of life with all, 
save one. Little, for my own part, did I dream of 
or presage its sad reality. I had formed plans, 
which, on shore with my adventurers, were brilliant 
in prospective, and I indulged in pleasing reveries. 
After the removal of the cloth, wine was passed 
around, and the cabin at this time presented a 
group of happy and expecting mortals, who, after 
the dangers of the ocean, and almost in hail of their 
homes, were congratulating themselves upon the fair 
prospect of the pleasures before them. 

I ascended on deck, to observe the weather be- 
fore I turned in. The gale still continued to in- 
crease — the ship pitching very heavily, plunging 
bows under, and wet from fore to aft by the sea 
and the spray, After seeing all snug, and leaving 
*3 



30 

the deck in charge of the officer of the watch, I 
descended, and turned into my hammock, stripping 
off only my outer great jacket. At twelve, mid- 
night, after passing a sleepless and anxious watch 
below, with sensations as strange and uneasy as the 
laboring motions of the ship, I came upon deck to 
relieve the watch. I went forward and examined 
the cables at the hawse holes, to see if the canvas 
or service needed renewing from the chafing; and 
seeing all was well, I returned to the quarter deck, 
to the lead line. The watch which had been re- 
lieved, had retired and turned in, and myself, boat- 
swain and four men, remained as the watch on deck. 
The ship was rolling and pitching most laborsome, 
as the weather current was very strong. 'An un- 
comfortable night this, sir,' said the boatswain, who 
was a great talker, 'and infernal cold for a warm 
country — faith, I must button up my monkey, and 
secure my tarpaulin, if we are to stand this weath- 
er here on deck for four hours. Whew! this is a 
snorter; and we must keep well aft, or else a sea 
from over the bows there, will throw us off our legs, 
or a spray give us a drencher to freshen our eye- 
lids. D — n her, how she jumps and pitches; well, 
for my part, give me a ship under sail, with the 
wind a-beam to steady her, instead of lying here at 
anchor, where she tumbles about like a chip in a 
frog pond.' The moon was now about half an hour 
high. From the feeling of the lead, I was fearful 
that the ship had been, and was still fast drifting. 



31 

The motion of the vessel and strong current, pre- 
vented my knowing this to a certainty — while at 
the line, I observed an unusual white foam to the 
leeward, and remarked it to the boatswain. He 
replied, he thought it no more than the curling tops 
of the waves. Not satisfied with this, I went aft 
into the yawl over the stern, and was soon convinc- 
ed they were that dread of sailors, breakers, and 
not far from us. I quickly went below, and awoke 
the captain, who was in a secure and profound sleep! 
by violently shaking him; and with a loud cry of 
'breakers!' aroused the passengers. I then went 
forward to get ready another anchor, and several 
men were clearing the cable tier below. The cap- 
tain had just gained the deck, when, at quarter past 
twelve, the vessel struck. The shock sunk upon 
the hearts of those on board, like the summons for 
sudden death — and with reason. All knew that 
while the ship rode clear of the ground, they were 
in safety; but the moment she struck, their min- 
utes were numbered, and death inevitable. Those 
below were directly alarmed by the shock, and hur- 
ried affrighted to the deck. Another blow soon fol- 
lowed — then another, and another, still more heavy. 
A heavy sea soon struck over the bows, and knock- 
ed down several seamen, and obliged them to retreat 
to the quarter deck. The seas began now to break 
over the whole weather sicje, and all were palsied 
with horror on looking around at the awful, pros- 
pect — the tremendous surge, and the fate which 



32 

could not be shunned. The passengers and seamen 
had all reached the deck, excepting the carpenter, 
who lay sick in his hammock in the steerage — some, 
in nothing but their shirts, and all half dressed, or 
with some clothes in their hands. On seeing their 
perilous situation, the clothes were dropped, and 
they secured their hold to the rigging — the ship 
continually striking. The captain ordered the stew- 
ard to secure some articles in the cabin; he descend- 
ed, but soon came up with the dismal tidings that 
every thing was adrift and the cabin full of water. 
'Cut away the masts! cut away the masts!' he then 
cried out. I went forward to the carpenter's chest; 
I asked several for the axe. 'We dont know of any 
axe, sir,' was the answer. 'Lord have mercy upon 
us.' The seas now forced all to secure their holds. 
Young Summers had gained the weather main 
shrouds, nearly naked and drenched by every sea. 
'Fracker, where are you,' he exclaimed, in a voice 
of despair. 'Here am I, Frank,' I replied, holding 
on with the rest — 'God only can help us now.' One 
sailor alone, delirious with horror that stupified 
others, was loud in his cries of despair. Irritated 
at such cowardice in one who had been a bullying, 
boisterous fellow, I told him hastily to stop his 
clamors, and not thus to discourage others; that if 
he wished to save himself, it must be by exertion, 
and not lamentation; and that the ship could, pos- 
sibly, hold together till day-light. But the others 
stood inanimate; and despair and horror at their 



S3 

inevitable fate, deprived them of all motion, speech 
or sensation of danger. The seas at this time were 
making complete cataracts over every part of the 
ship, and perceiving I should soon have to commit 
myself to the waves, I threw off my pea jacket and 
hat into the sea. Most of the crew and passengers 
were holding firmly on the different parts of the 
quarter deck, and three or four naked, shivering 
wretches, had ventured partly up the shrouds, cling- 
ing with ghastly looks to the ropes, as their last 
hold, from which the merciless waves were tearing 
them in succession, and they were instantly over- 
whelmed and buried in their bosoms. 

From the time she had first struck, the sea had 
so completely burst over us, that it rendered every 
effort of endeavoring to help ourselves, useless and 
dangerous — in our first intentions of cutting the ca- 
bles, making some sail, or, at the worst, to cut 
away the masts, and driving as fast as possible on 
shore. Such, indeed, was its sudden violence, that 
nothing was soon thought of but to attempt to hold 
on as long as possible, and all other efforts were im- 
practicable and abandoned. Ten or twelve of us ? 
at this time, were holding on to the weather quar- 
ter rail; every sea, a solid body of water, to which 
at its approach we presented our bare heads, would 
immediately wash us off our legs horizontally, at 
arm's length, and the comrade at my side, with sev- 
eral others, were torn from their grasp, and hurled 
and buried amid the wreck and water. 



34 

Finding it impossible to stand this suffocating 
drenching any longer, and my arms weak from such 
powerful stretching, I watched my chance, after a 
prodigious surge roared over me, loosed my hold, 
seized the mizen backstay, climbed over the heads 
of some who were clinging to the rigging, and hap- 
pily gained the mizen top, advising the rest to fol- 
low, as I was certain no man could stand the force 
of such terrific seas five minutes longer. Here, in 
the mizen top, in the interval of the ship's striking, 
I fell to thrashing myself, and preparing for the 
waves. My body and limbs had become much be- 
numbed, from the severe drenching below, and my 
feet were entirely without feeling. I took off my 
shoes and began to beat the soles of my feet with 
them; by which means, and by violently thrashing 
my body with my arms, I succeeded, at last, in cir- 
culating the blood, and rendering myself once more 
warm. While aloft, I drew out my knife and cut 
away the gaskets which confined the mizen topsail, 
wishing, by this, to drive her further towards the 
shore, which I could not yet discover. I also suc- 
ceeded in cutting- away several of the lanyards of - 
the topmast rigging, hoping that the topmast might 
go over and leave the mizenmast standing till the 
last, to hold on to; but this was unavailing, as the 
keel having been beat off, the masts ultimately 
gave way in the steps. 

I looked down below, and beheld, with varied 
emotions, and not without a degree of painful plea- 



35 

sure, a shipwreck, in which the fearful and the 
sublime were strongly blended. It was a sight from 
which I could not wish to avert my eyes, though I 
wouM have given worlds, at the same moment, for 
a foothold of safety. Holding on to the topmast 
rigging, and bending over the top, I watched, with 
straining eyes, the scene of death and destruction, 
so busily and clamorously carried on beneath me. 
Of those whom I had left grasping the quarter rail, 
I saw the three last washed from their holds, who 
soon met death. The mainmast having topgallant 
yard across, likewise fell over the side, and unluck- 
ily the wrong side, being to windward, off shore, 
which I was sorry to see, the ship laying broadside 
to the waves, and heeled much to windward. The 
moon had not yet set, and though obscured, ena- 
bled me to see, distinctly, the dire effects of the 
tempest. The long boat was forced from her head 
gripes and fastenings, and forced round, end on, to 
the sea; a second wave struck her stern, and in- 
stantly her fragments and contents were thrown 
beyond me, and the small boat, astern, instantly 
after, followed, borne on the top of a sea, with all 
her appendage of davils, tackles and lashings. The 
foremast, I imagined, would now speedily fall, as 
from its rolling I supposed its step was gone, as the 
ship beat heaviest at the fore part; but on the con- 
trary, I soon found myself going over with the 
mizen mast, which fell and carried me along with it. 
I was plunged into the sea, and received a few 



36 

scratches and bruises, but happily extricated my- 
self from beneath the ropes, got round the top, and 
crawling down by the upper rigging, with difficulty 
regained the ship. 

I was now beset on all sides with conflicting tim- 
ber, but was happily well aware of the danger that 
threatened me. I found every plank of the main 
deck washed off and in pieces — the bulwarks strip- 
ped and gone fore and aft, and pipes of wine, tier- 
ces, barrels of flour and kegs of butter, hencoops, 
crates and spars, added to the general wreck. In 
jumping from the rail to gain the lee side, I fell 
among this ruin, but had hitherto felt only one or 
two severe bruises. A tremendous wave now broke 
over the quarter, and sweeping every thing before, 
carried me along- with some large spars forward, 
when my right leg was struck by one of them, and 
jambed in between that and a deck beam, at the 
joint of the knee, which was instantly crushed, and 
held as in a vice, immoveable. My situation was 
now for two minutes most critical, and frightfully 
dismaying — another sea was roaring towards me. 
The blow I received had almost severed my limb, 
though I felt no pain. The next minute the sur- 
rounding timber would infallibly be washed in a 
storm around my head and body, and I momently 
expected it. By a providential rise of the water, 
I was enabled to catch hold of the lee rail, screwed 
out my leg, dodged under the rail, tumbled into the 
sea, and the wave roared harmless over my head! 



37 

I did this, not in the hope of reaching the shore, for 
I thought, indeed, it was not within many miles; 
but resolving to hasten my end, and preferring to 
die in the open sea, and especially to avoid a death 
by piecemeal — by crushing now and then a joint or 
a limb. I had heard the groans of two or three 
others, and among them, the voice of the command- 
er; their bones, probably, mostly broken, who had 
escaped being carried off by the waves, and who 
were, I presumed, but just alive. These, I believed, 
were all that still remained of this ill-fated compa- 
ny. After I had' plunged into the sea, and rose, I 
held on, for a moment, to the upper timbers, which 
were all that was left of the ship, and those loosen- 
ing, to recover breath. I soon quitted and began 
to strip, which was a difficult operation for a person 
in my then situation, as my leg hung down, like a 
rope, useless in the water, and I had on a thick 
jacket, two pair of duck trowsers, and neckerchief, 
a black Barcelona. While effecting this, some one, 
(and the only one I discovered) clinging to the tim- 
bers, was suddenly washed from his hold, and ex- 
tending his arms, his right hand came in contact 
with my neckerchief, which he convulsively grasped, 
and we sunk together! Pushed for breath myself, 
it was no time for ceremony — the next hold I per- 
haps could net disengage, and an attempt to assist 
him would only ensure certain death to both; I 
therefore quickly pulled the end of my neckerchief, 
the knot being fortunately with a bow, and he sunk 

4 



38 

with it in his hand, and the waves closed over him 
forever. I presumed he was a passenger, from his 
white shirt, and from his stout appearance, the 
Senior Monasteria or Mr. Tiernay. While under 
water, I in a moment stripped, and again rose to 
the surface, divested of all covering but my shirt. 
My leg, I felt, was powerless, and in stripping off 
my trowsers, the twisting of it gave a degree of 
pain, besides which, I had several scratches and 
bruises; through these, the chilling coldness of the 
water struck to the heart. 

When a boy, I was an expert swimmer; and when 
arrived at manhood, could jump from the gunwale 
of a ship, fully clad, strip while doubling the keel, 
and come up the other side with my clothes under 
my arm. No one that I had met with, possessed 
the faculty of retaining breath, and withholding 
the respiration for so long a period. But in this 
case, swimming, even with able and untired limbs, 
was wholly useless in a sea so heavy; and efforts to 
keep my head above water was all I could hope for. 
The moon had now gone down, and committing 
myself to God, I then pushed off from the wreck, 
to be thrown by the surge where his providence 
should impel. With two arms and a leg, I kept be- 
fore the wind, and every sea would wash far over 
my head; I resolved, therefore, to seize hold of the 
first large substance I should encounter, and gain 
breath, of which I was very short. I soon fastened 
upon a bale of goods, but it being wet and heavy, I 



39 

relinquished it, as every sea rolled over it, and I 
quitted it nearly exhausted. I saw numberless pie- 
ces of the wreck, and was in constant danger of 
being struck by some, which I repeatedly avoided 
by paddling from and diving, which the prodigious 
seas wholly overwhelmed I stood this hard buffeting 
for about a dozen seas, and nature was fast retreat- 
ing from the conflict, being desperately pushed for 
breath, as I could draw but little in the short inter- 
vals of the waves. I had now been nearly half an 
hour in the water, and nearly half the time below it; 
I had withstood, beyond my hopes, this war of ele- 
ments, but my breath now became harder and 
quicker — I felt a suffocation and strangling — I turn- 
ed and faced the waves in despair — I gasped twice, 
with a convulsive leap — another sea swept over me 
— I saw death inevitable, terrible, and face to face! 
I had but time, involuntarily, but audibly, to repeat 
the ejaculation, 'Lord Jesus receive my spirit,' and 
sunk in unshaken faith, that till the last trump 
should summon all hands, I should rise no more! 
My senses with my breath, also forsook me; and 
for a moment my mind was filled with the most 
singular and delightful sensations, apparently in an 
enrapturing dream. This, however, was as momen- 
tary as it was wonderful. I cannot imagine by 
what means, whether from the chill of the water, 
the pain of my wounds, or by the violence of a wave 
that then broke over me, but I was soon brought to 
my senses, and rose to the surface evidently re- 



40 

freshed. Thy hand, O God, was here! On looking 
around, I distinctly discovered, as if supernatural- 
ly thrown in my way, something large and light, for 
it kept constantly above the waves. I exerted my 
remaining strength, and reached it; it was a large 
crate, empty of all but straw. Into this, I firmly 
clenched my fingers, and soon recovered breath, as 
its buoyancy kept it high above the seas. Five 
minutes of this eventful night, I never think of but 
W T ith sentiments of amazement and gratitude. — 
While in the act of sinking, as I supposed, for the 
last time, the crowd of recollections, and the rapid 
succession of thoughts thronged my brain almost 
to bursting, I, who two hours before, was in health, 
happiness and security, now found myself in the 
midst of darkness, danger and death, encompassed 
with the merciless element, without a gleam of hope, 
and momently expecting to enter that unknown 
world, 'with all my imperfections on my head.' The 
crate to which I had so fortunately attached my- 
self, I have reason to believe, w r as the only thing, 
by the assistance of which, I could save my life. 
Keeping my hold of this, and constantly turning 
it round as my weight pulled it over towards me, I 
still kept courage, and dropped myself frequently 
down under water as far as I could stretch at arm's 
length, without quitting my hold, with the earnest 
hope of touching the bottom, but without success. 
I was much fatigued from exertion and anxiety, 
and could scarcely continue my hold upon the crate, 



41 

for every sea would sweep us at least ten feet be- 
fore it. and I began to despair of any land being 
near, and was fearful that the ship had been wreck- 
ed upon a shoal; still, however, holding on the crate, 
as I felt it my only hope, and knew if I lost that I 
was lost indeed! Drifting along with hopeless in- 
difference, I was beginning to droop in despair; and 
overcome with exertion, I felt a lethargy creeping 
over me, and resolved, with a last effort, to arouse 
my drowsy spirits, and by violently shaking the 
crate, shook myself, and looking around, I was sur- 
prised and animated, to find an uncommon lull and 
subsiding of the swelling surge — I was once more 
alive, for I was inside the breakers! I again quick- 
ly dropped myself down, eagerly stretching my 
limbs to the utmost length, and with my toe touch- 
ed the bottom! I felt it was of sand, and in a few 
minutes more I got up to about breast high in the 
water, and shoving myself forward by leg and arms, 
soon crawied out of the surf upon the beach. 

Thus, after being more than half an hour in the 
water, and making my way for nearly three quar- 
ters of a mile, through a raging sea, at midnight, I 
was at last thrown upon a desert beach, certain 
that no one could have reached a cable's length 
from the ship, which in an hour and a half after she 
first struck, was scattered in pieces on the strand. 
Some idea may be had of the violence of the ele- 
ments, from the fact that not a single mast came 
on shore unbroken, nor a timber as big as the wind-* 



lass; and out of twenty three souls , among whom 
were four stout African slaves, whose constant 
habit of swimming renders them almost amphibi- 
ous, only one body was thrown on shore that night; 
the remainder, buried by the first wave, came not 
on shore till nine days afterwards. 

Amazed and nearly stunned, on reaching the 
beach, I attempted, unconsciously, to stand, but 
my leg refused its office, and I fell backwards to the 
ground and was much hurt by the fall, which caused 
the blood to ooze from several wounds. Half fran- 
tic with pain and the severe chill of the weather, a 
groan, as I lay extended on the earth, for once es- 
caped me. I groaned and wished for death; I could 
then, I believe, have met him without fear — not as 
the king of terrors, but the messenger of mercy; I 
considered the fate of my companions happier far 
than my own, for their sufferings, though severe, 
were momentary, while mine, perhaps, were to be 
protracted, till struggling nature, slowly giving way, 
sunk under misery at its utmost stretch. Torments 
so acute I determined not to endure; the dreaded 
alternative was therefore soon chosen, and I re- 
solved to put an end to my existence by the first 
means chance should throw in my power. I had 
many reasons to urge me to this desperate act. The 
country around me, I believed from experience on 
the opposite shore, was barren and desolate, without 
inhabitants for a great distance, impenetrable from 
swamps and shrubbery, with no chance of being 



43 

discovered; the cold was to my body deadly and 
fearful, and not being able to move without torture, 
I should not certainly, unsheltered, survive till the 
morning. The moon had set long since, and I was 
npw in almost palpable darkness, and I could have 
seen no object, though my eyelids brushed it. 
Raising myself up at last, I slowly drew myself out 
of the surf, by hitching myself backwards. I was 
seated on the sand, with my hand groping around 
me, and felt hoops, or something bulky, and found, 
to my surprise, a pipe of wine. I had not left 
the ship too soon, for here was the lowest tier 
of the cargo on shore before me. Impelled by pain 
and despair, I was several times on the point of 
knocking my head against it and dashing out my 
brains, but as often hesitated, doubting only my 
strength to give one sufficient blow. A sad dilem- 
ma — but God was with me. A second thought most 
happily struck me; the cask was large, and suffi- 
cient to contain me, if I could possibly stave in the 
head, and lying end to the wind, would prove a 
complete shelter from the dreaded cold. 

Thus it pleased Providence, that the intended 
instrument of death, should be the very means of 
my preservation! Hope once more brightened and 
gave me triple vigor. Groping still farther along, 
I felt, for I truly could see nothing about me, sev- 
eral sticks of heavy Brazil wood, dunnage to the 
pipes, and taking up one, I got round to the upper 
head, and by repeated strokes, made a breach and 



44 

broke, with strength that surprised me, the middle 
head stave. The wine burst out, I applied my 
mouth aud drank some of it, and then continued 
my strokes with renewed force. A few more blows 
stove the head at last entirely in; the wine burst 
over me, the touch of which, to my frozen carcase, 
was electric and most agreeable. I took up two 
pieces of the head staves and placed them in the 
bottom or bilge of the cask, to make it even and 
level, and then crawled in. The interior felt to my 
body like an oven. I had, during all this time, been 
at work partly in the water, at the edge of the surf, 
which now flowed in upon me at every wave, and 
kept me constantly throwing it out with my left 
hand, as I lay in the water on my back as the least 
painful position. This labor I was obliged to con- 
tinue the remainder of the night, till towards .morn- 
ing; when the wind somewhat abated, the tide 
ebbed, and the surf retreating, no longer kept me 
bai'ing; I was, however, too exhausted to remove. 
At day break I looked out of the cask, and beheld 
a o f g sandy beach, covered to a great extent on 
each side of me with the fragments of the wreck, 
but not a vestige of the ship as long as the pump, 
or any thing moving, excepting the gulls. In fact, I 
was assured, on first reaching the shore, that no 
mortal aione could make his way through such seas, 
in such a night, to the land. My own preservation 
I considered as little short of a miracle. A ship- 
wreck so sudden, an escape so singular, the uproar 



45 

1 had witnessed, and the sight now before me, my 
scattered senses could scarce conceive real. For 
some time I actually doubted myself awake, for it 
seemed like a horrible dream. I then again com- 
posed myself in the cask, and owing to pain, the 
fumes of the wine and great exertion, I remained 5 
during the whole of this day, nearly insensible, and 
in a trance-like stupor. Towards sunset I was fear- 
ful of being carried away by the return of the tide, 
during the approaching night, with the pipe in this 
dangerous situation; I therefore reluctantly crawled 
out of the cask, and holding up my useless leg from 
trailing on the ground, and hitching myself back- 
ward with my right hand, gained at last the foot of 
a sand hill further up the beach. I worked myself 
up on this as high as my strength would permit, to 
be free from the reach of the sea; and as night was 
now darkening around, I looked anxiously and in 
vain, for some kind of hole into which to crawl. 
Finding no refuge above ground, I was constrained 
to seek one below it. With a heavy heart, I dug a 
bed in the sand, into which I crept, and with my 
lacerated leg undermost, raking the sand over me 3 
laid down, expecting only to rise 'when the last 
trump should rouse me with its warning.' The 
sand and my shirt were my only covering; the 
weather was extremely cold, and during the night 
it rained and stormed as hard as ever. The wet 
sand drifting around in smothering showers, covered 
every part of me, filling at every blast, my hair? 



46 

eyes, nose and mouth, kept me constantly spitting 
it out to prevent suffocation, while the cold often 
compelled me to sit up and thrash myself to prevent 
the chill of death. About midnight, in hopes of 
better avoiding the wintry wind, I resolved to shift 
my position, and try to get under the lee, or into 
some hollow on the other side of the hill. I accord- 
ingly crawled some distance, I knew not wither, 
owing to extreme darkness, and made another hole; 
then thrashing my arms for some time, again ven- 
tured to lay down, covering myself, as before, with 
sand, to resist the cold. Such was my bed, and 
such the manner in which I passed another night, 
and stood the 'pelting of the pitiless storm. 5 

In the morning I looked around and observed I 
had got over to the other side of the hillock, in 
sight of a low, marshy country, intermixed with low 
shrubbery, but saw no sign of habitation or cattle. 
I then took a survey of myself, and I truly looked 
like nothing human, or in the likeness of any thing 
upon earth or the waters beneath. My wounds 
were filled with sand, as were also my eyebrows, 
hair, beard and whiskers; my leg swelled to the 
plumpness of a wool sack, my left wrist out of joint, 
and the hand swelled and wholly useless; my feet 
were swelled and wrinkled like tripe, from remain- 
ing so long in the water, and painful from several 
wounds ;* and a ragged shirt, torn in my struggles, 

*A splinter of considerable length was taken from one of 
them twenty days afterwards, at Monte Video. 



47 

scantily covered a body discolored and sadly dis- 
figured; I was, indeed, a figure too shocking even 
to excite pity, too disabled to excite fear, and too 
monstrous for any sensation but astonishment. I 
descended the slope of the hill and entered among 
the bushes that grew around, and slowly moved 
along for some time, till I espied at some distance, 
through the grass, a low hollow, that I thought 
might contain water, for my thirst was intolerable. 
In half an hour, resting at intervals, I reached it, 
and found, to my great joy, that I was not deceived; 
it was water! clear and tempting; but the difficulty 
was to get at it. I at first tried several different plans 
to get my mouth to the brook, for my limbs were 
too lame a id stiff to bend. At last, by laying at 
length on the grass and rolling up to it, I succeed- 
ed. It was the most delicious draught I ever tasted! 
I drank an immoderate quantity, breathed awhile, 
and drank once more, not knowing when I should 
drink again. Looking about me, I saw nothing but 
what indicated a barren and inhospitable waste; I 
was therefore compelled to wend my way over the 
sand, and return to my o-d abode; a tedious and 
difficult task, which, however, I surmounted, and 
reached the beach about noon. The weather was 
still inauspicious and cloudy, the gale not much 
abated, and the sea continued to roar. 

While descending the slope, I had seen among 
the great mass of articles on the beach, a large 
empty wine pipe, which lay but a short distance 



48 

below me, with one head stove in by the sea, the 
other end facing the wind and water, and the mouth 
near the hill, which was a snug shelter in front. 
This was a fine house for me, and fortunately just 
what I needed. I hitched myself towards it, enter- 
ed it and laid down, being very weak and fatigued; 
but I soon found the rough staves too hard for my 
bare bones and bruised carcase. I shortly after 
sallied out in search of a covering, and in hopes of 
finding some bed, mattress or blanket among the 
wreck, I took a survey on each side, and saw at a 
distance, on my right, something that looked like a 
bed, but on coming up to it, I found only a sack of 
cotton wool, wet and heavy, which I could not re- 
move; I then returned to the cask, having reluc- 
tantly left it, as it was my only hope. I rested 
awhile, and then took another survey, and soon saw, 
at a great distance down the beach, on my left, 
towards the water, some rolls of cotton bagging, of 
which we had a great number on board, and again 
started out in pursuit. I was a long time in getting 
to them, and then found them so buried in the sand 
that I was an hour in digging and clearing it away 
from around them. It was now, I judged, about 
four, P. M. They were two large rolls, like bed 
ticking, with about twenty yards of one rolled round 
the other and sewed. I tore away the stitches with 
my teeth and unrolled one from the other, and found 
the inner one still wet. I pushed it down and rolled 
it along before me, hitching myself up to it, and 



49 

then pushing it from me again. Thus I got it to 
the cask and across its mouth; getting into which, 
I unrolled eight or ten fathoms, then laying down 
in the cask, pushed and spread it as well as I could 
underneath me; I then unrolled as much more by 
the help of my feet, and covered myself with it, 
though it was still wet, and covered, as was every 
thing else, with sand. I now thought myself very 
well off, and my situation very comfortable, com- 
pared with that of the last thirty hours. Darkness 
soon came on, and during this night extreme and 
raging thirst kept me awake, and pain kept me 
constantly shifting positions. Such to me appear- 
ed the endless duration of the night, that for many 
hours before day-break, I firmly believed, and was 
greatly alarmed by the apprehension, that light 
would never again revisit the earth; and that dark- 
ness had regained its primeval empire. I watched 
away the night in insufferable thirst, which I thought 
would drive me to distraction; a fever was raging 
within me, and I would have given my all for one 
poor draught of water. Daylight, at last, slowly 
dawned forth, and as my limbs were too feeble to 
undertake a journey to the watering place, I re- 
solved to break in upon the wine, and to search for 
a pipe that had its bung inclining downwards, that 
the wine might flow, if I could hammer it out. 
My hunger, too, was loudly craving; on my way to 
the wine, I found an orange broken open and filled 
with sand, which I greedily devoured, and hitched 
5 



50 

along; soon after, I fell in with a quantity of kegs 
of salmon, and found one with the head out, and 
partly filled with sand; nevertheless, I resolved to 
take it with me, and fill it with wine. I was in fact 
surrounded at this place with different parts of the 
cargo. At a short distance from me, strewed upon 
the beach, were nearly 150 pipes of wine, kegs of 
butter, barrels of flour, baskets of pork, bales of 
goods, &c, different fragments of the wreck with- 
out number. In passing the kegs of butter and 
baskets of pork, my hunger compelled me to claw 
out a handful of each, which my hunger forced down; 
but the wine which I afterwards drank, soon threw 
it out again. Coming to the pipes, I found one 
that answered, and procuring a billet of wood, 
struck out the bung of one that inclined downward, 
and applied my mouth to the hole, drinking a great 
quantity. I afterwards rinced the keg with the 
wine, which contained about a gallon; and nearly 
filling it with wine, returned with it slowly to the 
cask, pushing it before me. The gulls overhead, 
were noisy and clamorous, and seemed to anticipate 
the meal they should make of me. This keg I at 
last brought to the cask, to my great satisfaction; 
set it outside, crawled in, and began to ruminate 
upon my condition. I found it would be impossible, 
without succor, to move much longer about, and 
determined to remain at home during the remain- 
der of the day; and if sufficient strength remained 
on the morrow, to rig a kind of signal, with a pole 



51 

or spar, as my only chance of relief, with a piece 
of cotton bagging, for a flag, that if any vessel ap- 
peared near enough, she might observe it from the 
river. I at first had serious thoughts of endeavor- 
ing to get off the small boat, which I could discov- 
er at a great distance, bottom up, and to rig a kind 
of sail, and steer up the river; but on looking at 
my limbs, and having but one leg and arm servicea- 
ble, I immediately abandoned the project; I knew 
too, that my time was short; I knew that the next 
day I should be unable to make a farther search 
than I had done for provisions, as the method of 
getting along was slow and painful; I had frequent- 
ly to stop and thrash myself, from the cold. Added 
to this, nothing was more probable than that the 
first savage who should discover me, would instant- 
ly despatch me, as an impediment to plunder. I ex- 
pected no less, and that my fears were not ground- 
less, the sequel too mournfully shows ; but a certain 
presentiment of brighter hours, still upheld my spir- 
its, which were never less depressed than upon this 
occasion. I remembered that the Great Director 
still had not forsaken me, since 'God is ever pre- 
sent, ever felt, in the wide waste as in the full city,' 
and I could not doubt that he He whose outstretch- 
ed arm had preserved me through the conflict of 
that dreadful night, would not now leave me to a 
miserable death. I was now more comfortably sit- 
uated than at any former period; I had a covering 
inside, and a keg of good wine outside. Every 



52 

thing considered, I determined to wait with humble 
hope, the will of heaven; I was resigned and cheer- 
ful, and even sung, and was happy. After this, by 
repeated drinking, owing to excessive thirst, I was 
thrown into a doze of about half an hour. 

It was now three days and nights since I had 
taken food, and my taper of life began to glimmer 
in the socket. How I survived these scenes of ac- 
cumulated misery so long, when but barely alive 
on reaching the shore, I scarcely can tell; the re- 
trospect even now astonishes me. But frail mor- 
tality could resist no longer; my strength had 
utterly failed, and at this period I abandoned all 
hope af again leaving the pipe. 

The day was declining apace, and I expected not 
to behold another dawn. I hailed the approaching 
night as the termination af my toils; considered the 
mean covering over me as my shroud, the cask as my 
coffin, and waited with fortitude the hour of disso- 
lution. But the next was the hour of deliverance! 

At four o'clock, on this afternoon, (Saturday, 
the 20th of September,) as I was stretched out 
in the cask, indulging in recollections of home 7 
I was aroused from my reveries by the startling 
sound of a horse's feet. I waited his approach 
with calmness, being absolutely indifferent in my 
choice, to sleep or die; — the sounds grew louder 
and nearer — in a few moments a horse with a rider 
appeared before the cask. I hailed in Spanish, 
faintly, "amigo A " (friend,) — he instantly alighted. 



53 

but struck with such a ghastly spectacle as I then 
exhibited, he started as he stooped dovmto observe 
me, and recoiled backwards against his horse. Re- 
covering soon, however, from his dismay, by seeing 
my helpless condition, he re-advanced to learn by 
what means I had outlived the general wreck. He 
was a young man of benevolent features, a Creole, 
or half Indian, and dressed partly in the Indian 
method. I told my tale in a few words, to which 
he listened with breathless attention, and concluded 
by asking him the distance to a habitation; and if 
it was possible that he could furnish means for 
reaching one the next day, as I had no idea but 
that he came from a great distance. 'In a few 
hours,' he replied; 'before night, I can return with 
horses and assistance, as my mother's rancho, (or 
hut) is not more than one league distant.' After 
a few more questions, he expressed his surprise at 
my providential rescue, crossing himself repeatedly 
at every 'hair breadth escape,' and blessed St. 
George, as my special preserver. It was lucky, he 
said, that I spoke his language so well; that I was 
very fortunate in being discovered by him, whose 
mother, he said, lived at the nearest habitation, 
whither I should be conveyed; assuring me if I had 
fallen into the hands of the savages, they won d 
certainly have despatched me, for they were merci- 
less and ferocious. But first says he, I will bring 
you something to eat, for you look ha<f starved; 5 
so saying, he jumped upon his horse, and was soon 
*5 



54 

out of sight. His period of absence, seemed to me 
an age, A prospect of deliverance, of once more 
beholding my country, had lighted up a hope with- 
in me, and again I feared he might prove a deceiver. 

In about an hour, however, he appeared, and the 
foam of his good horse bore witness that he had 
lost no time. He jumped from his steed, and 
threw into my lap, as I sat upright in the cask, a 
warm sausage, and some mouldy bread, wrapped 
up in a napkin. I greedily seized the food, think- 
ing I could devour it at once; but was surprised to 
find I could not swallow a mouthful, my throat be- 
ing contracted, closed and sore. 

He now informed me, that on his first coming 
down to the beach, he had passed the pipe in which 
I was laying, without suspicion, at a distance upon 
his left, as he rode near the water; that he saw the 
beach covered for a great length with numberless 
articles of the wreck, and that he had been greatly 
disconcerted on finding the sand dug away from 
around' a roll of cotton, and one carried off, and no 
marks of footsteps, or any thing living, excepting 
the sea gulls — that he had seen but one corpse, and 
that of one of the sailors; that a great many chests, 
trunks, &c. he had likewise seen; some half buried 
in the sand; others broken open by the sea; but 
many that were locked and entire, and that if I 
wished, he would search for my own, if I would de- 
scribe it, and draw it up before the cask. I told 
him that my chests were unlocked at the time we 



55 

struck, and of course the contents were scattered 
and sunk. He however rode away to a great dis- 
tance, and drew up at repeated times, several chests 
and trunks, belonging to the passengers and sea- 
men, saying that there were many more, but at 
such a distance, so buried, or so heavy, that he 
could not drag them along. He asked me for sev- 
eral pieces of clothing, which he had picked up. I 
told him to keep whatever he pleased, as none could 
dispute his right to them. He then began to plan 
the means for my removal; I thought it most prac- 
ticable that he should empty one of the largest 
chests of its contents, and that I should get inside, 
and his horse should draw me over the plains. This 
he told me was impossible, from the shrubs and 
marshes and pools, which obstructed the path. I 
left it then wholly to his care, as my head was far 
too heavy to talk or to reason; and from previous 
exertion, even fell back into the cask. My friend 
-then made his lasso (a line of green hide, with 
which they catch wild horses,) fast to the handle 
of the largest trunk, and with an assurance that he 
would soon return, drove off. I listened with painful 
feelings to the sound of the horse's retreating foot- 
steps; for on him alone rested my hope of deliv- 
erance. 

Shortly after he had gone, a guacha, a savage of 
fierce and murderous countenance, rode up and 
alighted from his horse in great haste, and roughly 
asked, 'quien es usted?' I replied, 'un mariner© 



56 

naufrago;' <es usted el capitan?' 'no,' I answer- 
ed; 'estoy el pilota,' and that I had previously 
been discovered by a paysano, who had just left me 
to return with assistance. He demanded the road 
he took; I told him, when he leaped upon his horse 
and galloped off in the direction the other had taken. 

It seems, as my deliverer afterwards informed 
me, that this savage came up with him and endeav- 
ored by entreaties and threats, to dissuade him 
from his design of assisting me; saying I had bet- 
ter be despatched and buried in the sand, and then 
there would be none to dispute the right of plun- 
der. But my delivererer told him that the chief 
was already acquainted w T ith the affair, as well as 
his father and others, who were even then prepar- 
ing to go down to the beach; on hearing this, he 
lost no time, but turning his horse, hastily spurred 
off in an opposite course. 

During the absence of my friend, my moments 
in the cask were spent in the most tormenting 
anxiety and suspence. I had been discovered, con- 
trary to all co ijecture, by a friend, instead of an 
enemy, and one bright ray of hope, which I hard'y 
daied to cherish, had reanimated my soul. Now 
was the fearful hazard that he should not return 
with timely succor. I eagerly listened to catch 
the sound of his returning galloping steed; after a 
while I heard the approach of several horses; I 
awaited their appearance with breathless hope, for 
my life or my death hung upon the moment. 



51 

What was my dismay and surprise, at the next 
moment, on beholding the remorseless face of the 
same fellow who last had left me ! his infernal com- 
panions also dismounted, and presented their dia- 
bolical visages at the mouth of the cask. For a 
few moments their ensued a violent and clamorous 
dispute between them, with horrid grimaces. Re- 
sistance was madness; my feelings I will not at- 
tempt to describe. Suddenly I saw their faces turn- 
ed to one direction; they instantly sheathed their 
knives, and sprang toward their horses and vanished. 

In a moment, my friend, accompanied by his fa- 
ther and three slaves, alighted from their horses. 
They immediately set about removing me gently 
from the cask, while Pedro, (the name of my dis- 
coverer,) breaking open a passenger's trunk, that 
lay near, advised me to permit him to draw over me 
some of the apparel; alleging, that in my present 
appearance, I should be taken by the inhabitants 
for a common sailor; but if clothed in a decent 
manner, I should gain among them more advantage, 
respect and security. I, therefore, seated on the 
sand, suffered the painful operation of dressing. A 
surtout and waistcoat was got over me, but my leg 
being so greatly swelled, prevented my getting over 
it any thing but a pair of loose drawers. I was 
then carefully lifted on the back of the horse; my 
attentive friend Pedro leaped up before me; hold- 
ing on to him, I had strength sufficient to keep my- 
self in an upright position, 



58 

I had just been seated on the back of the animal, 
when the general, who commanded the troops in 
this quarter, appeared with a guard of soldiers, and 
several others. He took me kindly by the hand, 
promised me his protection, and taking a case bot- 
tle of Aguadente from one of the guard, reached it 
to me; I drank nearly half a pint, and felt much 
enlivened. He then took off his pancho, or cloak, 
and threw it over me; asking me if I preferred going 
to the cottage of the party that had me in care, or 
to his own quarters. I thanked him, and in reply 
told him, that these had saved my life, and I 
could trust them freely, and desired not to leave 
them. Go on then, said he, con Dios,and to-night 
I will visit you. We then set forward at a slow 
pace, travelling along the windings of the beach. 

I saw the body of a seaman, but we rode not near 
enough for me to distinguish his features; he layed 
upon his back, clothed in a red baize shirt and trow- 
sers. I looked around to see if there were others, 
but my friend assured me there were none. The 
beach was strewed with the wreck to a great length, 
lying in every kind of position and in confused 
masses. 

The bright rays of the setting sun, now for a few 
moments enlivened our path, as we left the beach 
and turned off into the country, across the plains. 
A negro preceded us on horseback, to sound the 
way, as the land was wet and marshy. The raging 
waves had now subsided to an unruffled calm, and I 



59 

cast my eyes mournfully towards that treacherous 
sea, which now looked so peaceful and flattering. 

We arrived at last, about dusk, to a small cot- 
tage; having travelled as I computed nearly a league. 
A number of large dogs gave notice of our approach, 
but were soon silenced by my companions, who as- 
sisted me gently to dismount. I was welcomed with 
many blessings by an old woman; carried into her 
hut, seated in a chair, some clothing was brought 
forward, and I soon felt the comfort of a dry shirt. 
'I have no beef or mutton in the house,' says the 
old woman, for the army take all our beasts; but 
we have some fowls, which may do as well. I was 
soon put in the only bed in the hut, to me a bed of 
down; and my kind hostess soon brought me a bowl 
of good broth. After this, my leg was washed with 
hot vinegar, and my wounds on my feet dressed as 
well as circumstances would permit. 

This rancho, or hut, was a small place built like 
all others, of cane, fastened together with strips of 
green hide, plaistered with mud, andathatch'd roof. 
The general came about dark, spent an half hour^ 
and retired. I considered myself as peculiarly for- 
tunate on being now under the care of an old wo- 
man, the indispensable attendant in sickness, and 
alleviator of calamity; developing those endearing 
and estimable traits of character, usefulness, pa- 
tience and compassion. My leg was again bathed 
in hot vinegar, and bandages of woollen applied; 
and my hostess left me and retired to her repose 



60 

During the night I drank a great quantity both of 
wine and water, which had been set within reach, 
for my thirst was unquenchable. Two junk bot- 
tles of hot water were covered and placed in bed 
against my feet; which were much swelled, chilled, 
and wrinkled, and almost without feeling. This 
sudden application of artificial heat to the blood, 
though well intended, had a most pernicious effect; 
corrupting, stagnating, and destroying its natural 
temperature, and causing great pain; its effects 
were felt many months afterwards. During the 
nights slept but little. The rays of the sun break- 
ing into the room, announced the morning of the 
Sabbath, and I could in truth hail it as a welcome 
and sweet day of rest. 

I now took a view of the apartment and furni- 
ture; the room was partly separated by a parti- 
tion of cane poles, inside of which slept my host- 
ess and her two younger sons, upon the floor; as 
there was but one bedstead, upon which I lay. Her 
eldest son, my discoverer, lay near me, wrapped 
up in his pancho, or blanket; the old man, his fath- 
er, lived in another hut, at a relations, for fear of 
the guaches, as he was a Spaniard. 

At the further end of the hovel was kept con- 
stantly burning upon a table, on each side of a cru- 
cifix, two candies; which is the invariable custom 
when any one lies dangerously sick. A separate 
hut for the kitchen, was built outside. The furni- 
ture consisted of a few hide bottomed chairs, some 



61 

hide sacks and baskets, a hide sieve, and several 
other necessary articles, of which hide was the 
principal material. During the day, I inquired of 
the old woman of the state of affairs about the 
country, and at Monte Video. She told me that 
the Portuguese were kept close within its walls by 
the natives; and that any communication between 
the city and country was very precarious and diffi- 
cult, as a great animosity subsisted between them. 
Pedro at this time had mounted his cavallo, and 
taken an excursion to the beach; towards night he 
entered the hut, bringing in a hide sack of flour 
from the wreck, which he had drawn away by the 
aid of his horse; and soon after, brought in several 
other articles, such as bottles of wine and cordial, 
a keg of butter; some rum, and a keg of wine from 
a cask — these he stowed away in the interior of the 
hut, and then took his seat at my bedside as usual. 
In conversation, he expressed to me his fears of 
the intemperate and remorseless guachas, whom he 
said, valued the life of a person no more than that 
of a dog; that they were unsettled, roving, and 
lived, upon plunder. To beguile, the evenings of 
my tedious confinement, he would also relate to 
me the products of the country, its animals, &,c; a 
choice horse might be bought for a dollar, though a 
bad saddle would cost twenty. Ostriches were 
plenty in the neighborhood, valuable only for their 
eggs and feathers, of which they made fans and 
dusters. The nature of this bird, he said, was very 
6 



62 

singular, and he had often watched at a distance 
their method of depositing their eggs; the bira\ after 
assuring herself of being unnoticed, would scratch 
a hole in the sand, deposite her egg, and carefully 
covering the place, retreat slyly to the thicket, and 
leave to the sun the care of hatching them. 

The next day, the general came again, bringing 
with him several bottles of wine and cordial, which 
he had taken from the wreck. 

A country fellow came in soon after, an acquain- 
tance of my hostess; and she offered him a draught 
of the cordial. I shall never forget the inexpressi- 
ble contortions of countenance, the heartfelt smack, 
the exclamation of wonder and relish with which he 
swallowed his glass of liquor, of the taste of which, 
he had before no conception. 

I desired the general to inform me if it was possi- 
ble to send a letter to Monte Video. He told me it 
was difficult, as there was but little intercourse; 
but that he knew of a patriot officer, who, having 
a passport, would go in a few days to the city. I 
therefore, the day following, procured of the old 
woman, materials for writing, and a chopping block. 
This I placed between my legs on the bed, and be- 
gan writing; it was a tedious business, and I could 
sit up no longer than to write one line at a time. 
I however finished this necessary duty, and wrote 
two letters; one directed to W. P. White, Esq., 
the only person I was acquainted with at Monte 
Video, whom I had formerly known in the cap- 



63 

ital; and another to the owners in Buenos Ayres. 
I briefly related the loss of the ship, the fate of the 
crew, my own situation; and advising something to 
be done to save the property; of which a greater 
part had been washed ashore. These I gave to the 
girl, who in two days forwarded them to the capital. 

Pedro, during this day, was still employed, assist- 
ed by the two slaves, in recovering articles and 
provisions, from the beach; which he said was now 
covered with the natives, who were breaking open 
trunks, chests, and bales of goods; staving in the 
pipes of wine, when any one wanted to drink; and 
exhibiting a confused scene of plunder, fighting, and 
wanton waste of goods; of which they knew not 
the value. 

Getting drunk with the wine, on the beach, they 
frequently came to the cottage, and with brutal 
language and savage gestures, threated the lives of 
its generous inhabitants. 

As his mother was once bringing in some cakes 
for me from the kitchen, the ruffians snatched them 
from her hand; then entering the kitchen, seized 
and devoured what victuals were there, and threw 
away the plates. 

She one day entered with tears in her eyes, and 
told me she was sadly afraid of her life and my 
own, from the Indians; they were very bad men; — 
and she had overheard a parley between them, of 
breaking into the hut during the night, to plunder 
and murder. Indeed, their looks alone spoke their 



64 

savage character; for often, at times, laying on my 
bed, I have observed them attentively, as they 
would sometimes venture into the hut; and I never 
saw such rascally and ugly looking fellows. They 
were generally of large size, long black hair, hanging 
like snakes down their shoulders; thick bushy beard 
and mustachios; a coarse blanket or pancho wrap- 
ped round their waist; another with a hole in the 
middle, through which they thrust their heads; a 
turban or checked handkerchief on their heads; 
horse skin boots, stripped raw from the animal's 
leg, and worn raw into the shape of the feet. These, 
with a sword nearly a fathom long, in an iron scab- 
bard, gave them a most hideous appearance; they 
indeed looked like demons. All wore long knives 
stuck into a sheath, in the blanket behind, which 
they made use of for every purpose; to kill, cut up 
beef, eat with, and stab their fellow creatures. 

The friendly general again came in the evening, 
attended by several soldiers; and at his departure, 
left a guard of three at our earnest request, who 
were well armed, for our defence. This military 
officer, whose name was Ortugues, appeared much 
like one of our own country farmers, excepting his 
formidable iron scabbard sword. His dress was a 
short jacket of coarse blue, over which was thrown 
his pancho, or square cloak, drab velvet breeches, 
and long boots; he seemed a well meaning and be- 
nevolent man; but no ways capable of commanding 
a horde of vagabond marauders, whom he was or- 



65 

ganising into an army, for the defence of the coun- 
try, against the encroachments of the Portuguese. 

The cause of the Indians' animosity and attempts 
to attack and plunder, was, that they suspected as 
Pedro was the first who had discovered the wreck 
on the beach, he had the first chance of booty, and 
t)f course had obtained a great quantity of gold, 
silver, and other valuable property; and had secre- 
ted them in the cottage. Impressed with this no- 
tion, which I believe was false and groundless, they 
made several nightly attempts to force the door, 
but were repulsed by the guard. 

I passed these days very unquietly at the cot- 
tage, and time seemed to roll most tediously slow. 
The old lady had some cigars and old books, and I 
endeavored, by smoking and reading, to beguile the 
hours. The books, though some were an hundred 
and fifty years old, were not uninteresting. They 
consisted partly of the 'Lives of the Martyrs;' 
'Sermons by a Priest at Madrid;' and a large volume 
of the 'History of the Conquest of Peru.' 

In the evening, Pedro would take his seat at the 
bedside, and amuse and interest me by his conver- 
sation. On an occasion'like this, he said, he would 
relate the following tale, which before he had no 
opportunity to do. It shows that my discovery and 
rescue were wholly owing to a circumstance purely 
fortuitous and accidental. 

'Early in the morning of Thursday,' said he, 'two 
days before you were found on the strand, a soldier 
*6 



66 

of the army of Artigas was strolling on horseback 
nearer the beach than they usually travel. At about 
a mile from the scene of the wreck, he discerned in 
a small cove at the river side, something on the 
beach; and as it was uncommon to observe any ob- 
ject breaking the uniformity of the sandy plain, he 
resolved to ride down and examine it. It proved 
to be one of the kegs of butter, nearly the size 
of a half barrel, which had been separated by the 
sea from the other drifting articles, and washed and 
lodged into this little bay. The so'dier alighted 
from his horse, turned it over, but could not tell 
what it contained. It being heavy, and thinking it 
of little value, he left it and rode away. Some time 
after, in his return, he came near our cottage; he 
had before frequently stopped here; and now re- 
solved to go in. In the course of conversation with 
me, on different affairs, he mentioned the discovery,, 
at the river side, of a small barrel, very heavy; 
containing he knew not what, and supposed it to 
have drifted ashore from some vessel. Soon after, 
he left the cottage, and proceeded on his journey. 
That day and the next, being very stormy, cold 
and rainy, prevented me from going abroad. On 
Saturday the weather was still unfair, but at noon 
it began to clear away. I mounted my cavallo in 
the afternoon, and took a ride in the direction de- 
scribed by the soldier, in search of the keg he had 
spoken of. This I soon saw at the edge of the 
water, and supposing that this was not all that had 



67 

been driven ashore by the storm, I was induced to 
make a further search; and recollecting that the 
wind had been for several days blowing obliquely up 
the river, I concluded to shape my course down the 
sea side for new discoveries. Accordingly, I rode 
on a great distance, without seeing any thing else, 
and was on the point of returning; when, on wind- 
ing round a small point of land, I plainly saw at a 
short distance a thousand vestiges of the wreck 
covering the beach. I rode slowly through them, 
near the edge of the water, stopping at times to 
view them, but not dismounting. I passed the cask 
you lay in, which I saw was thrown very high up 
the beach. 'It was rather strange,' said he, 'that 
you did not hear my horse's steps.' I told him I 
flid not; for the tread on the sand was not loud, 
and the roar of the sea might serve to prevent 
it. 'I traversed the whole length of the beach, 
and frequently stopped to examine different objects 
of the wreck. I had probably been half an hour 
on the beach, before I had a thought of one alive 
so near me.' I told him I was, during the period 
of his survey, lying quietly in the cask, without a 
hope of again leaving it, and wholly unconscious de- 
liverance was so near. 'In returning,' he continued, 
'1 was passing close to the sand hill between the 
banks and your place of shelter, and should have 
passed the cask, if I had not heard a hollow voice 
from within.' I inquired if the roll of bagging 
across the pipe's mouth, did not attract his notica. 



68 

*No, my friend pilota,' said Pedro, 'I should cer- 
tainly have rodg on without regarding it; for I had 
seen a hundred things just before, in equally curi- 
ous positions. Your voice alone, which started me 
at first, caused me to dismount, and look into the 
cask; and my God, I shall never forget the sight 
as long; as I live.' What a scene was this for the 
pencil of the painter! 

On the eve of about the fourth day, I asked Pe- 
dro, if any of the bodies had washed ashore, be- 
sides the one we saw. He replied, not one; and 
wondered how that alone should be cast so far on 
shore. 

I told him I presumed it was one of the stoutest 
of the seamen, who had fortunately cleared himself 
from the ship, without much damage, and had reso- 
lutely continued 'breasting the lofty surge/ till he 
reached the midd'e of the breakers; when, being 
there overpowered, he expired and sunk; and the 
force of the waves then propelled the body to the 
shore before it descended to the bottom. 

It is surprising that human bodies will, when 
dead, sink and continue at the bottom, unmovea- 
ble; while other substances, of much greater pro- 
portionate weight, will be throwm on shore by the sea. 

My friend brought in, and shew me, at different 
times, large detached pieces of iron, and ring bolts, 
&c. which he found half buried in the sand. 

I was now slowly gaming strength; but each re- 
turning day brought fresh alarm from the murder- 



69 

cms designs of the villain guachas. On the fourth 
night they went to the next hut upon the beach, 
about four miles off, where dwelt a poor and harm- 
less family, and robbed it of every thing valuable, 
or worth taking; mortally stabbed the father; bound 
his daughters, and brutally abused them. One of 
them, an interesting white girl, came the next day 
to our hut, for some relief, and told in tears the 
dreadful story. 

I had about this time, a great many visiters, who 
all considered me highly favored by my patron 
saint, to whom they attributed my hair breath es- 
capes. Among them, were many old women, who 
came from a distance, and travelled on horseback, 
about the country, bartering their commodities. 

A consultation was once held by them, respect- 
ing my fever, leg, and bruises ; and they recom- 
mended a large leaf of an herb, which grows in that 
country ; which, dipped in hot oil and vinegar, had a 
wonderful and salutary effect when applied to my 
limb; although the application caused a most uneasy- 
sensation, combined with suffocating pain during 
two nights; the swelling greatly subsided, excepting 
about the bend of the knee. During this, for five 
days, I could lie in only one position in bed, and that 
on my right side; my wounded leg lying on pillows; 
the knee bent about half way; in which unvaried 
bend, it remained in fact, more than a month. 

I could instantly perceive a change of wind, on 
the least motion; and once on moving, when the 



70 a 

wind had shifted to the north, the effect was so 
electric as to cause me to scream aloud. And when, 
at last, I was compelled to relieve for a moment 
my painful and palsying posture, it was the task of 
half an hour to turn myself in bed. 

My appetite, at this time, had become insatiate, 
and though I could not get so much to eat as I 
wanted, owing to the care of my old nurse, I ate 
great quantities, and drank all that came within 
my reach; keeping bottles of liquor under my pil- 
low, for my night supply. The smallest lad's chief 
occupation was to bring in water; of which, during 
the twelve days I remained here, I believe I drank 
fifty gallons, besides half a dozen bottles of cordial, 
a dozen of wine, ten gallons of port, in a keg, and 
several bottles of other liquors; all of which Pedro 
had saved from the beach. 

My condition appeared to engross all the atten- 
tion of my kind hostess, and occupy all her care 
and time. She never entered the apartment, nor 
went to sleep, without the kind question of 'que 
quero usted, pilota? 5 (what is wanting;) and the 
answer was usually, ( water.' 

I asked her one afternoon what reward she ex- 
pected, or what recompense I should give; or what 
return I could make, for her urtiring goodness. 
'Speak not of it, Don Horky,' said she; 'who can 
tell but that my son Pepe, may go to other coun- 
tries by sea, and be shipwrecked, and cast ashore, 
and that your mother may then do that and more, 



71 

for him, than I am doing now for you.' It was an 
answer heartfelt, I believe, by us both, though I 
smiled to think on the improbability that Pedro 
could be thrown ashore in a storm, upon a wharf in 
Boston. 

This family had lived many years happily and 
comfortably in Monte Video, previous to its sur- 
render to the Patriots, in 1813; but were then com- 
pelled to quit their home; and since that period, had 
suffered, as well as many other families, all the 
hardships to which their adhesion to the cause of 
old Spain, exposed them. The old man, her hus- 
band, was in constant fear of his life; and during 
my stay at the hut, which drew many unwelcome 
visiters, appeared only once or twice, and then only 
in the evening; living otherwise, as before mention- 
ed, at a relation's, concealed. 

On the second evening, he came and inquired of 
his wife about me, as follows: 'Bien,'says he, 'como 
esta su huespedo?' 'mucho mejor,' she replied; 
'tiene gano muy vivo para beber y comer;' 'esta 
christiano ?' he asked, which made me smile. 'Sin 
duda,' she replied; 'todas son christianos en Norte 
America;' 'como los Inglesas y el pilota sabe las 
nombres de to das los santas, y puede repeto el 
credo catolico.' 'Dios le guarda,' he replied; and 
to me, 'a Dios, usted le passa bein;' so saying, he 
left the cottage. 

On inquiring my health, and asking if I was a 
christian, she answered, 'much better;' and doubt- 
less a christian, as all in America, as well as the 



12 

English, were christians; and that as evidence, I 
could repeat the Catholic creed, and knew the 
names of all the saints; for which he bestows his 
benediction. 

When at times I would whistle and sing, to be- 
guile the pain, my hostess would ask the reason. 
I told her I did so to kill the pain. But I saw she 
often thought from my strange behaviour, that my 
fever and pain had rendered me delirious. My ap- 
prehensions, however, in this weak state, and ner- 
vous debility of body and mind, gave me incessant 
and tormenting anxiety. 

The close of each day gave rise to painful fears, 
for the events of the dreaded night; expecting con- 
stantly the breaking in of the guachas; and know- 
ing too well their merciless ferocity. The nightly 
barking of the watchful dogs, giving notice of their 
approach, sounded in my ears like a summons bell, 
tolling for execution. I was not certain of living 
out an hour, nor was my chance of life of the value 
of a shilling. 

One night, when all had retired to rest, and the 
guards lay snoring upon the floor, the d^gs set up 
a roaring yell, and we soon after heard the tread of 
heavy footsteps, and violent thumping at the door. 
Pedro, who lay at my side, aroused the guards and 
opened it; while the soldiers and my hostess pre- 
pared for defence. 

I saw by the moonshine, five hideous looking fel- 
lows, armed with swords and bayonets, standing 
before the door. A sharp parley ensued between 



73 

them and the guard. They said that they had or- 
ders to search the hut for any money or valuables, 
that the pilota, (myself,) might have recovered from 
the wreck. But the guard presenting their pieces, 
told them it was all false, and a contrivance to 
plunder; as they themselves were placed there by 
the General for my defence, and they would direct- 
ly fire upon them, unless they instantly made off. 

At this, they thought proper to make a speedy 
retreat, stealing in their way ahorse from the field. 

I was now in anxious and daily expectation of 
some persons from Monte Video, to convey me 
from this fearful situation and dangerous abode. 
On the eighth day, I was agreeably relieved, by the 
arrival of two clerks, an Englishman and Spaniard, 
from Monte Yideo, in consequence of receiving my 
letters, from the house of the consignees, in order 
to effect my removal to the city, and also to en- 
deavor to secure some part of the property. 

The latter they found totally impossible, nothing 
of value being now left on the strand, as all had 
been carried up country, by the natives. 

I was extremely rejoiced at their coming, and we 
were soon concerting plans for my departure. Lines 
and posts of defence had been established between 
Toledo, the place where I was, and Monte Yideo, 
and these prevented any cattle or provisions being 
carried from the country to the Portuguese, in the 
city, whom they considered as invaders. 
7 



74 

Oxen, therefore, not being allowed to pass into 
the city, mules not here to be procured, it was at 
last agreed that they should return to Monte Yideo, 
and send down a cart with mules, from the city. 
They slept one night at the hut, and on the next 
day, Sunday, departed; having seen sufficient of 
the character of the natives, and glad they had 
escaped the knives of the guachas, and vowing 
they would not venture their lives again among 
such a murderous crew, for the value of a ship and 
cargo. 

On the eve of the next day, Monday, Pedro 
brought in the trunk which he had drawn from the 
beach at my desire, at the time of my discovery, 
and now opened it to examine what articles it might 
contain. He told me he had hitherto kept it se- 
creted in the grass, in the rear of the cot; and had 
not dared to take out any articles to dry for fear 
of the deserters and Indians; for should they dis- 
cover any thing valuable hanging out, they would 
certainly steal it, and search the house for more. 
But none of them being now near the house, he 
had brought it in to the side of the bed, for my in- 
spection. 

It was a large black English iron-bound trunk, of 
the largest size, containing every article of cloth- 
ing, but no money. These were all thoroughly wet, 
and many indelibly spotted and mildewed, the ef- 
fects of the salt water. This stock of appar- 
el wasat this time a great acquisition to me, as 



75 

my whole wardrobe consisted of a borrowed shirt.* 

Among the things he handed me, were a set of 
long muslin curtains for a state room; which the 
old lady begged I would give to her. And Pedro 
in his turn, thought that a couple pair of the pan- 
taloons would make him happy as a cavallero; to 
which I readily assented, and told them I laid claim 
to nothing but their hospitality, for which I was a 
constant debtor. 

At the bottom was found a large roll of papers, 
which he handed me, and carefully unrolling them, 
I expected they were a set of interesting manu- 
scripts; but found them to be only a collection of 
beautiful colored French engravings; such as the 
four seasons, twelves months, subjects from scrip- 
ture, Robinson Crusoe, &c; in all about forty; 
which I requested Pedro to hang on a line overhead 
to dry, which he did. Most of the contents were 
then stowed again in the trunk, and Pedro dragged 
it back to its place of concealment. 

The next morning I awoke with earnest expecta- 
tion of the cart from Monte Video; but I waited in 
vain; and evening brought fresh cause of fear. 

During this day, an Irishman, a laborer, who had 
lived many years in that country, came; and after 
some conversation with my hostess, requested of 
her the loan of a spade. 

* This trunk and most of its contents, I brought home with 
me to Boston; and on emptying it some time since, a quantity 
of the sand from the eventful beach was found in its crevices. 



76 

He said he had but just come from the beach^ 
and that several bodies of my companions lay ex- 
posed on the sand, and that the gulls were devour- 
ing them; that the Indians were too intent on plun- 
der, and getting intoxicated, to assist in interring 
them; and that he would again go down to perform 
this christian office, and bury them in the sand. 

An old kind of shovel was mustered for him, and 
he went off with this laudable design. Returning 
the next day, he informed me he had buried sever- 
al, and many bodies had come ashore in a shocking 
state; so broken and bruised that it was impossi- 
ble to distinguish them; some, he said, were still in 
the surf, which he could not drag out; and of ne- 
cessity, had to leave, 'food for gulls;' their bones, 
doubtless, at this day, lie bleaching on the sand. 

I was still waiting with the most painful anxiety, 
for the arrival of the conveyance from the city; 
and no poor and condemned malefactor, in hopes of 
a reprieve, or pardon^ ever waited with more emo- 
tion the mandate which should restore him his lib- 
erty, than I did for a passport and conveyance to 
the walls of Monte Yideo. 

The cannibals were daily and hourly growing 
more barbarous; and our danger every moment in- 
creased. I had every reason to believe that on this 
night, they intended to make a desperate attack 
upon the cottage, and to have murdered all in their 
power. But Providence otherwise ordered. 

About sunset, the little lad came running into 



77 

the hut, from his play, exclaiming to his mother, 
that 'a strange thing was coming towards the house. 5 
My heart throbbed a little at this notice, and soon 
after, as I hoped for, I was gratified with the en- 
trance of the driver and guide, of the long wished 
for cart. They were cordially welcomed; and as 
they slept in the hut, I passed the night with a more 
temperate feeling, and a mind less apprehensive of 
a midnight attack. 

To death, and to danger the most terrific, I had 
been exposed, and had faced them with manly 
firmness. I had escaped from wild beasts, and met 
the fury of elements, without shrinking; but the 
horrid prospect of having my flesh gashed and lace- 
rated, by the knives of the savages, gave me infi- 
nite anguish; and heated with fever, rage and indig- 
nation, I could almost, at times, had it been in my 
power, have seized indiscriminate destruction, and 
like Samson of old, have sacrificed my own life to 
relieve it from such a state of torturing suspence, 
and to take revenge upon the blood thirsty ruffians; 
for here were men, if I may so degrade the term, 
(for they were not indeed in the image of their Ma- 
ker,) 'more fierce and more inexorable far, than 
empty tigers, or the roaring s< a.' 

The twelfth day came, and we were to depart. 
I hailed it with pleasure, as a day of second deliv- 
erance. The guide and the driver were employed 
in the morning, in lining the side of the cart with 
rushes, to keep off the wind, they had brought down 
*7 



78 

with them a bed, with coverings and blankets. The 
trunk was brought and laid across the fore part of 
the cart, by Pedro; while his mother was busy in 
wrapping me up within, for the journey. A great 
number of blankets and coverings, were also thrown 
over me. My feet were bound up in woollen, and a 
flag handkerchief was tied round my head; I had 
on, likewise, a large coat, loose pantaloons, and flan- 
nel underdress. A chair was placed at the hinder 
part of the cart, which now backed to the door of 
the cottage, from which I was lifted inside and plac- 
ed upon the blankets at the bottom. 

At parting I shook the hands of the kind old wo- 
man, and my deliverer, most heartily. A crowd of 
grateful recollections stifled for a moment my ex- 
pressions of gratitude, and started the tears of over- 
powered feelings. I left them with fervent bene- 
dictions, and we drove off slowly on our way. 

During our progress, I had leisure to contemplate 
my hopes and prospects; and my mind wanted no 
food or exercise in considering this odd journey, 
and in so odd a company. 

The sun beamed forth gloriously, and the day ap- 
peared delightful; and though I could not yet hear 
the busy hum of men, yet the cheering music of the 
feathered warblers, the sight of the vast plains on 
one side, and the boundless expanse of the great 
La Plata on the other; the novelty of my situation, 
the memory of past dangers, the many aids of Prov- 
idence, whose unseen hand had protected me thus 



79 

far, and the hopes of future comforts yet in store, 
led my thoughts to adore that great and benevolent 
Being, without whose notice, not even a sparrow 
falls to the ground. 

Nothing remarkable, excepting one unlucky ac- 
cident, happened on the road, which was the loss 
of the engravings. The guide, who was an ill look- 
ing and suspicious fellow, who lived in the vicinity, 
had collected them from the lines in the hut, and 
put them under the bed at the tail of the cart. 
When about half way on our journey, he suddenly 
dropped astern, and saying he could go on no far- 
ther, pulling out the prints, thrust them into his 
bosom, galloped off and vanished. 

We were interrogated at the lines by some offi- 
cers, who came out of.a decent house by the road- 
side, as we were now near the city, who asked many 
questions, and allowed us freely to proceed; in a 
short time we gained «ight of the gates of Monte 
Video; at which we at' last arrived about 2 o'clock, 
P. M. Here I was aso stopped by a number of 
Portuguese officers, who were tall and well looking 
men, who asked als o many questions, having previ- 
ously heard of the shipwreck; they expressed them- 
selves glad to see r .ne, and we drove into the city. 

The streets we^e not paved, but contained many 
large loose stonpf/; and the jolting of the cart over 
them, which W>w went at a smart trot, gave me a 
severe shaking^ The novelty of the sight drew 
many of the fe males to the windows; and I beheld 



80 

many wondering and fair faces, as I lay on my back 
in the cart, exposed to the view of those above me. 

We stopped at the house of an English merchant, 
the consignee, who immediately came out, and with 
many friendly congratulations, personally assisted 
his slaves in carrying me up stairs; passing along on 
the flat roof of the lower story, round the court 
yard, in the centre, to a small handsome chamber in 
the rear, which had been previously fitted up for 
the use of one of our passengers. His family con- 
sisted of his wife, likewise English, and an interest- 
ing and beautiful child, of about three years old. His 
lady, (whom Heaven bless,) was constant in her acts 
or Kindness. I found I could not support myself 
in a chair, for this was the first time, since the dis- 
aster, that I had made the attempt, and was there- 
fore helped to undress, and assisted to bed. This 
night I slept for the first nine soundly; for I had 
reached the desired p^ace of security, and my 
dreams were not disturbed >j the clamor of the 
guachas. 

The next day, my trunk ^ as opened, and the 
clothes washed and put up in tche neatest order. 
Two whole pieces of black bombazette, and several 
dozen of white cotton hose and, socks, were like- 
wise found in it; which were sol#, and brought me 
about thirty doHars. \L 

Here I was confined for nearly thixfty days, and 
my leg shrunk in that time to as gay at an extreme 
as it was swelled before. By unexam pled kindness, 



81 

I daily and rapidly improved;" and in three weeks 
was able to leave the room, and sit outside of the 
chamber, upon the walk. 

One of the owners of the ship happening at this 
time to be in Monte Video, instantly came to visit 
me, and hear the account of the loss of his ship. 
When I had repeated the occurrences, and related 
the hospitality of the old woman at the cottage, he 
immediately proposed a subscription among the 
merchants for her recompense, generously and no- 
bly disregarding his own loss, though he was owner 
of half of the ship, and uninsured. There came 
also next day, notaries to take my deposition on 
oath, respecting the cause of the ship's being thrown 
ashore. It was accordingly set down as occasioned 
by the violence of the storm. 

I was often solicited by my kind friends, to have 
medical assistance; but this I constantly refused. I 
had "never occasion for a physician, having, doubt- 
less unreasonably, a prejudice against them; nature 
therefore took her course, and my leg, though once 
threatened with amputation, grew daily stronger, 
to the surprise of all who first witnessed my situa- 
tion, and slowly resumed its natural shape; and in 
six weeks, I was able to take the salutary exercise 
of a walk, with a cane; to ride a short distance 
upon a gentle horse, and shortly after, eat at their 
table. 

Gratitude must here be allowed a digression, to 
give vent to her feelings, and to prevent her devoirs 
at the shrine of benevolence. While under this bos- 



82 

pitable roof, all that could contribute to alleviate 
pain; everything that could add to my convenience 
and comfort; kindness, which anticipated my wish- 
es, I enjoyed in its fullest extent. Though a dis- 
tressed foreigner, I was treated as a brother; and 
though a stranger, ever welcome to their board. 
For three weeks, while on the bed of friendship, I 
was visited at the first dawn of the morning by the 
worthy merchant, who with his own hands would 
dress my wounds, thus emulating the example of 
the good Samaritan. 

His name, John L. Darby, Esq. I with pleasure 
record. A name well known to the mercantile 
community, at Monte Video; and while life con- 
tinues, will with me be held dear. 

It would be well, if I could here conclude, and 
the hapless tale could now be ended. But as a 
faithful narrator, I am constrained to give its me- 
lancholy sequel. 

After I had been in Monte Video about six weeks, 
I received the shocking intelligence, that on the 
night of the same day on which I left the cottage, 
the merciless savages attacked and entered the hut 
of the old woman, and finding no opposition, as the 
guards had withdrawn to the encampment, plunder- 
ed the hut of all she possessed, wounded the s aves 
who opposed them, and after repeatedly stabbing 
my worthy deliverer, finished with cutting his throat 
from ear to ear! How just are the words of the poet, 

'The ways of heaven are dark, and intricate; 
Man, puzzled ia mazes and perplexed with errors. 



83 

Sees not with how much art the windings turn, 
Nor when the regular confusion ends.' 

I was now rapidly gaining strength; my leg I 
could bear my weight on; and after remaining here 
two months, 1 was strong enough to take passage 
for Buenos Ayres, distant about a hundred and ten 
miles, farther up, and on the opposite side of the 
river. 

I arrived the next day, and found a great num- 
ber of old acquaintance, who were very kind and 
friendly. A subscription paper was immediately 
handed round among the English merchants, by 
the goodness of the owners, Messrs. McFarlane 
and Eastman, to whose friendship I must ever re- 
main indebted, and several hundred subscribed in 
an hour, and collected for my benefit. About two 
hundred were also collected for the benefit of the 
old woman at the hut, and two hundred more previ- 
ously in Monte Yideo, and sent down to her. 

I remained some months on account of lameness, 
in Buenos Ayres, and applied for a passage in the 
Congress, Captain Sinclair, which was at that time 
ready to return home with the three commission- 
ers which she conveyed out; but failing in this, I 
soon after had an application to the birth of first 
officer of a large ship; the Manhattan, of 700 tons, 
sent from the United States to be sold. Not suc- 
ceeding in the sale, I entered on board an Ensera- 
da, and we proceeded to fit her for her return home 
in ballast. 



84 

On the 11th of July, 1818, we left the La Plata, 
and in forty days had sight of Bermudas. On the 
12th of September, we anchored off Fort Henry, 
at Baltimore. I was detained here much against 
my will, twenty days, in settling the ship's accounts, 
taking an inventory, &c. and she was publicly sold. 

On Sunday morning, October 4th, I arrived at 
my native place, Boston, after an absence of over 
two years; when I fully experienced the truth of 
the observation, that the unavoidable evils and mis- 
fortunes of life, afford by their contrast, a ten fold 
relish to its comforts, which are many, but which 
before were unprised. 

The meeting of relatives must be conceived. I 
will only add, that safe in the embrace of parents 
and friends, forgotten like a dream, WERE THE 
PERILS OF THE OCEAN. 



AMBlriNSft 



THE SEA. ...A SONG. 



FIRST VOICE. 

How frightful the sea! — how appalling and wild! — 
With the howl of the tempest, the roaring waves pil'd. 
And the black clouds contending together! 

SECOND VOICE. 

How fair is the sea !— and its quiet how deep ; 
The zephyrs breathe calmly — how soft is its sleep; 
How sweet and inspiring the weather! 

FIRST VOICE. 

Here thunders the storm-king, in terror and gloom, 
And soon yonder bark shall encounter her doom— 
Dash'd, a wreck, and be heard of no more! 

SECOND VOICE. 

The goddess Eolia here trips o'er the sea, 
And yon gallant vessel, so bounding and free, 
Shall, in safety, again greet the shore. 

FIRST VOICE. 

The demons of night flap their wings o'er the wave; 

Tis the shark's dread abode — 'tis the sea-monster's cave - 

And perils unnumber'd abound! 

SECOND VOICE. 

The rainbow at eve glads the mariner's eye, 
And all the rich hues of a tropical sky, 
Emblazon the horizon round. 



88 



FIRST VOICE. 

The same sky above, and the same sea below — 
Dark or bright, rough or smooth, all the change he can know ; 
For the sight of the land he's in sorrow. 

SECOND VOICE. 

No duns here molest, and no creditors sue; 
His bills are all paid, and his cares are but few, 
And he smiles at the wants of tomorrow. 

FIRST VOICE. 

In his blest dreams of home, he's arous'd from his sleep. 
From fireside joys, to the roar of the deep; 
And 'Aloft! meet the storm,' is the cry. 

SECOND VOICE* 

To the roar of the tempest he carelessly sings; 
No fears to disturb, in his hammock he swings. 
And visions of home hover nigh! 

FIRST VOICE. 

See the lover and friend, and the mother^ in tears! 
Dread sea, thou hast ruin'd the promise of years, 
And thy cruelty long they deplore. 

SECOND VOICE. 

Hark! the archangel's trump shall one day thro' the deep, 
Wake to life and to light, the long lost ones that sleep, 
And old ocean her dead shall restore! 



RIO JENEIRO. 



Rio Jeneiro, in English, the River January — ■ 
probably so called from the month in which it was 
discovered — embraces the varied prospect of a bay 
incomparable in scenery, a smooth harbor, variega- 
ted with many pleasant little islands, which secure 
and embellish it; the shores on every side teeming 
in luxuriant vegetation, and where nature, dressed 
always in the robe of spring — gay as in her prime — 
sports in all her youthful vigor and beauty. On 
first beholding this coast, the mind of a stranger is 
struck with wonder and pleasure — he beholds moun- 
tains piled on mountains, of every shape and posture 
— some bending their enormous heads, as if to awe 
the lesser hills below, or rising in majestic pomp 
far above the highest range of clouds, which float 
and curl, like misty veils, around them. The city, 
St. Sebastian, is surrounded with a range of these 
high mountains, which rise at a short distance in 
the interior, and enclose it as in a semicircle. This 
barrier prevents the circulation of the pure moun- 
tain breezes, and occasions a pale and sickly ap- 
pearance in the sallow complexions of the inhabi- 
tants; the streets, too, which appear like lanes to 
*8 



90 

an European, are narrow, and the houses lofty, 
which gives them, at first, a wild and gloomy ap- 
pearance. The buildings are mostly of brick or 
stone, and plastered; but the eye of the pedestrian 
is soon diverted from them, and arrested by the 
endless change in the faces, dresses and complex- 
ions of the passing swarms that press about him, 
and throng this populous, transatlantic city. 

Here may be seen at one view, the well-fed priest 
pushing his fat body along, and the half starved slave 
who touches his cap to him, though he is sweating 
under the weight of a puncheon, which he assists in 
bearing along. The bold free negro, with his cocked 
hat, and the stiff, proud courtier, with his ribbands 
and stars; the thievish soldier off duty, watching 
a group of sailors over their pot of wine, at the 
chop house; and the strapping female slave, who 
cries 'aick!' and sells water, the weight of which, in 
the balanced vessel on her head, would crack any 
skull of less solidity than her own; the naval cap- 
tain in his full dress, brushing by a noisy pack of 
young black children, w 7 ith no dress at all; the beg- 
ging friar from the convent, who fills his wallet with 
provisions, and never knew a different mode of liv- 
ing; the statesman in black, who kisses on his knees 
at the palace door, the one hand of the prince, w T hile 
he is eating an apple, a favorite fruit, with the oth- 
er; the royal guard of grenadiers, whose antique 
lengthy coats, make them appear like men of other 
days; the droves of blacks, whose skeleton shapes 



91 

bespeak them wretches just released from yonder 
slave ship — these may be seen at once. 

But where, oh, where, is lovely woman? To the 
face of whom, from the face of naught for tedious 
months, but boisterous waves and frowning clouds, 
the seamen with most pleasure turns. But here he 
turns in vain, for none are seen. The sounds too, 
which stun him, are as varied as the objects a- 
round. The ceaseless clang of a hundred bells, 
ringing too, rapid as for life and death; the song 
and chorus of the laboring slaves, at the quay; guns 
firing, rockets mounting, drums beating, chains 
clanking, and rocks blowing, would lead a stran- 
ger to suppose that they made all this clamor to 
drive away ennui, and disperse evil spirits. 

The queen's garden, at the extremity of the city, 
appears to merit most attention. It is very spa- 
cious, and is bounded on one side by the bay, against 
the wall of which the surf beats and roars, in great 
contrast with the scenery within. The walks are 
very neat, and some charmingly shaded from the 
sun, cool and solitary. But it is in the country only, 
outside the town, that the naturalist and admirer 
of untrammelled nature, may enjoy her richest ban- 
quet, for here she spreads her boards with bound- 
less variety. The air, though at first rather too 
warm, is generally refreshed by the pure breeze of 
the mountains, and every thing appears bright and 
beautiful; the mind in the delightful region, unwit- 
tingly glows in unison with the cheerful prospect. 



92 

and insensibly imbibes the serenity and the grandeur 
of the surrounding landscapes. 

On a Sunday afternoon, I took an excursion up 
the bay; on landing, I pursued the course of the 
beach, and was charmed with the stillness and the 
cheerfulness of the scenery around me. Here the 
sweet scented lemon tree, the orange, and the lime, 
extending even to the touch of the wave, afforded 
a delightful retreat from the blaze of a tropical sun. 

The beautiful and nimble lizards, which I had 
thought repulsive reptiles, were playing about 
among the stones of the beach. The velocity of 
their motions, their sudden change of attitude, and 
their elegant and symmetrical forms — with their 
little green eyes, pointed noses, taper tails and 
spotted bodies, afforded a deal of amusement. We 
then bent our way into the interior. Here we tra- 
velled along at the foot of an immense hill, whose 
sloping sides were covered, as far as the eye could 
reach, with thick woods of oranges and other tropi- 
cal fruits. 

In a little time we fell in with a party of merry 
making blacks, of both sexes, who were indulging, 
in all its glory, the jubilee of a Fandango. This is 
a sort of African dance of the negroes, of which 
they are excessively fond; it is performed by nu- 
merous evolutions, in v/hich they sometimes join 
hands and form a circle, in the centre of which, are 
the indefatigable and sweating musicians, who, with 
their huge calabashes, kettle drums and reed pipes, ' 



93 

labor to make all the noise — if not the most music- 
al — they possibly can. The dancers, more especial- 
ly the women, are most fantastically arrayed, hav- 
ing on the head a cap or turban, ornamented with 
beads, ribbons and small looking glasses; a short, 
gay dress, a string of beads — negro fine — around 
their necks, and the wrists and ankles encircled by a 
string of castanos, a nut shell, the rattle of which, in 
the dance, keeps time to the music. No one can be- 
hold, with unruffled face, or with any degree of 
gravity, the negro Fandango. The ridiculous dress- 
es, the expressive, though awkward pantomimic mo- 
tions and gestures, the contortion of features, and 
the horrid music, present a strange and lively picture. 

Proceeding a little further, we came in sight of a 
noble palace, which had been lately built, and which 
was surrounded by an extensive stone wall, having 
the grand gate-way, or entrance, arched, and bear- 
ing the arms of Portugal and John VI. On arriving 
at the palace, we found it was built of stone, sur- 
rounded by another solid wall. At a short distance, 
on the right, buildings of brick were erecting for 
spacious barracks. The situation was commanding 
and beautiful, and we little expected to enjoy, in a 
solitary country ramble, where the silence was only 
interrupted by the singing of birds, the view of so 
noble an edifice. 

On returning, we fell in with a number of female 
slaves, who were busily employed in washing. They 
stood in a large square basin of water, at least 



94 

three feet deep, and were jabbering and rubbing, 
with their trays on the banks. The country ap- 
peared well watered, and the soil very productive. 

In the city, the water is supplied by several pub- 
lic fountains, which are built of stone, in a pyramid- 
ical form, from the sides of which, through four 
spouts, the water is forced out in spattering streams. 
The principal one is at the head of the palace steps, 
near the square. The slaves, who get water from 
this source, to sell about the city, make a great 
clamor in their contentions about first getting their 
vessels under the stream. 

Nothwithstanding the vast crowds which throng 
the streets, not a woman is to be seen. Although 
I was at one time on shore daily, for three weeks, 
I could see no other females than the slaves. — 
They sometimes, however, take a ramble in the 
evening, but are so enveloped in cloaks that entire- 
ly conceal their form, that a stranger would pass 
them, and think them men. They may be seen, 
also, at the gratings of the upper windows on some 
days of parade and processions, and on Sundays 
may be seen leaving their palanquins to enter the 
church; but otherwise are confined, by tyrant cus- 
tom, to their lone apartments. How different is 
their fate from that of the perambulators of Broad- 
way and Cornhill! The population, including slaves, 
probably amounts to eighty thousand. Though 
there are guard houses for soldiers in many sections, 
murders are very frequent; so common, indeed, 



95 

that the dead body of the unfortunate victim, wel- 
tering in blood, is passed by in the street, with, per- 
haps, the exclamation of 'poor fellow!' but other 
wise unheeded and without concern. 

There are many foreign merchants who reside 
here and in the vicinity, several of whom have their 
families with them; but the state of society must 
prevent the enjoyment of all social intercourse, and 
deprive them of those pleasures so necessary to the 
happiness of domestic life. 

Fruits of many kinds, such as oranges, lemons, 
limes, plantains, bananas, cocoa nuts, &,c, are very 
cheap and plenty. Sugar, rice and tobacco, they 
raise and export in great quantities; but should 
some of our chewers of the latter article witness 
the nauseous method of its manufacture and pack- 
ing, by the dirty blacks, they would, I think, as I 
have seen others, eject the quid in disgust. The 
beef is bad and lean, the cattle being driven before 
they are killed, a great distance from the interior. 

Multitudes of the slaves gain a profit to their 
owners, by the conveyance of passengers in their 
canoes, to and from the shipping and the landing 
places. Their strife for employment is violent and 
clamorous; but it sometimes happens, if their price 
of fare — which must be paid on the passage — is not 
agreed to, the black rogue will dexterously capsize 
his canoe, tow it quickly to the shore, and leave 
you to be picked up by the first passing skiff that 
may take that trouble. 

The king's barge is very splendid. His majesty 



96 

sometimes takes an excursion round the harbor, at- 
tended by his suite, and is rowed by eighty men, 
having twenty oars on a side, and two men to each. 
A band of music precedes him, and the numerous 
barges which foilow, all handsomely decorated, form 
a magnificent spectacle. 

On Sundays and other holidays, the church pro- 
cessions are extraordinary. On a Sunday afternoon, 
soon after my first arrival in Rio Jeneiro, I witness- 
ed a grand example of the above fetes. The streets 
were thronged with a gaping multitude, who were 
eager to pay their devotion to the rites of mother 
church. First in advance appeared a guard of sol- 
diers, marching to slow music; these were followed 
by a number of citizens, dressed in black, each bear- 
ing a long, lighted, wax taper; then came a small 
guard of soldiers, followed by four beautiful females, 
dressed in light muslin, having wings of gauze, ex- 
tended by wires, and crowned with a wreath of 
flowers, holding in their hands emblems of a harp; 
and immediately following, under a superb canopy, 
upheld by eight soldiers, appeared the grand object 
of all this ceremony, the reverend and holy Father 
of the church, to whom, as he moved along in migh- 
ty pomp and solemn show, the crowd on each side 
spontaneously dropped and bowed the knee. An- 
other file of soldiers and citizens next came up, fol- 
lowed by the underlings of the church — some of 
various shades of color, even to sooty black, but 
who were, notwithstanding, arrayed in clerical robes 
■ — brought up the rear of this gorgeous pageant. 



LA PIiATA. 



In thirty four degrees south latitude, equi-dis- 
tant from the equator as New York, is the grand 
and majestic La Plata. On approaching the river 
from the sea, the low and level land appears wholly 
different in appearance from the wild and towering 
front along the coast of Brazil. 

This vast river is a hundred and fifty miles wide at 
the mouth, and extends, with a gradual contraction 
and in a winding direction, along the shores of Pa- 
raguay, in the heart of South America, a distance of 
twelve hundred miles. At Monte Yideo the water is 
brackish, and cannot be drank, but at a short dis- 
tance above, though it appears at all times turbid 
and discolored, as if with the yellow mud at the 
bottom; the taste is sweet and palatable. A sealing 
ship was once cast away on the rocks of Faulkland 
Island, and a few of the hands with difficulty saved 
themselves in the long boat. Being on a barren 
land, they resolved, with one barrel of beef, which 
they had fortunately recovered, and a scanty supply 
of water, to commit themselves to the mercy of the 
waves in their frail bark, and pushed for the river 
of Plate. After a miserable passage and expending 
9 



98 

their entire stock of provisions, they arrived at last, 
even to the inner roads of Buenos Ayres, ascended 
the deck of the first vessel they saw, and implored, 
( in the name of God,' a draught of water! — having 
traversed over a surface of one hundred miles of 
good fresh water, for twenty four hours, not appre- 
nending that it was fresh, and sailed dismally over 
it, perishing with intolerable thirst. 

The tides in the river, as far up as Buenos Ayres, 
are, in general, regular, except when influenced by 
strong and constant winds, and the rise and fall is 
about eight or ten feet. The bed of the river is of 
hard sand, and when the tides are low no boats can 
come near the shore, and many persons gain a living 
by conveying goods and passengers from the boats 
and craft to the shore, which is sometimes a quar- 
ter of a mile. The following fact will illustrate the 
power of the wind upon the water of this river. 
Many years ago, during the contest with Spain, a 
Spanish sloop of war was lying in the outer roads, 
distant at least seven miles from the city. A suc- 
cession of strong pamperos, # in a few days laid bare 
the whole ground of the inner harbor, and the ves- 
sels and craft were left motionless and dry. The 
winds still continuing to roll back the waters, even 
the proud Spaniard, it was discovered, was laid bare 
to the keel. Preparations were immediately made, 
by the patriots to attack her, in this her stationary 

* Winds from the pampas or plains. 



99 

and perilous situation. A large body of artillerists, 
with some pieces of heavy cannon, descended the 
banks of the river, and were drawn along on the 
sand by horses, and all the bustle of a march, and 
preparation for battle, as on the tented field, were 
seen on ground which the winds had cleared for 
them, and over which the waves were wont to roar, 
The astonished Spaniards saw with alarm and con- 
sternation, the approach of an enemy on horseback, 
where a few days before their ship had rode in ten 
fathoms of water. They, however, prepared for a 
desperate conflict, being resolved to defend their 
ship, rather now their castle, to the last. Their 
fate appeared almost certain; but fortune, for once, 
favored them, and accomplished more in ten mi- 
nutes, than their own greatest bravery. The action 
had commenced, when an unusual shout of triumph 
from the deck of the Spaniard, caused the assailants 
to look beyond, when with a dismay like that of 
Pharaoh's host, they beheld the surge rolling in and 
roaring towards them! The battle ceased instantly 
— the alarm was electric — the traces were cut from 
the cannons — the guns were abandoned — and they 
gallopped off in full retreat, with the sea in close 
pursuit at their heels, and were precipitantly driven 
up again, by this new enemy, from the invasion of 
her possessions. 

Monte Video is so called from the hill near the 
entrance of the harbor. It is on the eastern side, 
or 'Banda Oriental,' of the river. It has a good ap- 



100 

pearance from the water; but on traversing the 
streets, there is nothing in the buildings to interest 
or admire. The houses are low, covering a great 
extent of ground; generally two stories in front, 
and but one in the rear, forming a square and a 
court or yard, in the centre. It is strongly fortified, 
and the citadella or castle well garrisoned. The 
city is now in possession of the Portuguese. In 
1813 it was taken by the Patriots, who invested it 
by sea and land for a long period, and cut off all 
supplies. The famine was at last most distressing- 
ly severe, and means at which humanity shudders, 
were employed to gain a pitiful morsel to protract 
a miserable existence. With true Spanish obdura- 
cy, they refused all terms, till they sold for food all 
they possessed, and parents even bargained their 
daughters' honor for a handful of bread. Every 
thing eatable, and every living animal was devoured 
—horses, cats and mules — and rats, with the im- 
mense numbers of which, the city was once over- 
run, either alive or dead, sold for a dollar each! 
The Patriots did not long hold possession of the 
city, for the Portuguese, who had always laid claim 
to the lower or eastern side of the river, as the 
southern bounds of the Brazil dominions, soon took 
possession of it, and are still its masters. During 
these occurrences, the Patriot General Artigas, of 
Buenos Ayres, taking offence at some measures of 
the government, ambitious and well informed, de- 
serted the common cause> and crossed the river to 



101 

Oolonia, where he soon mustered a formidable body 
of adherents, whom he urged to assert their inde- 
pendence of all other powers, and form a separate 
government, though they were before considered as 
equally concerned in the common cause of the coun- 
try. Various detachments of troops were sent at 
different times from Buenos Ayres, to subject them, 
but without success, and but £ew returned. Arti- 
gas' army being all mounted, would fly when suc- 
cess was doubtful. Thus affairs remained till a 
short time since, when this people, now called gente 
of the 'Banda Oriental,' declared war against the 
encroaching Portuguese, and attacked Monte Yideo, 
The other provinces of the La Plata, deeply con- 
cerned in the event, and being now on good terms, 
assisted them, at first secretly, and at last openly, 
against the common enemy. The Portuguese de- 
clared war against the Patriots in toto, and the pri- 
vateers of the latter will greatly annoy the Brazilian 
commerce, and probably be gainers by the struggle, 
Ensenada is a small village, situate on the same 
side with Buenos Ayres, and about forty miles be- 
low. Several vessels generally lay here to take in 
the jerk beef, which they carry mostly to the West 
Indies. The manner of preparing this is simply by 
cutting off the flesh of the slaughtered ox, and hang- 
ing it in the air to dry. No salt is used, such is the 
purity of the atmosphere in this delightful climate, 
The entrance from the river to the village is, as 
before related, through narrow, winding creeks, on 
#9 



102 

the sides of which, innumerable varieties of the 
feathered tribe, twittering from grove to grove and 
from spray to spray, and expanding their brilliant 
plumage to the sun, pour out their melodious strains 
of praise to the great God of nature, whose good- 
ness is over all, and who delights in the happiness 
of all his creatures. The people are sociable and 
kind, and fond of the company of strangers, par- 
ticularly Americans, whom they often amuse by 
their absurd and ludicrous questions respecting the 
customs of other countries. The houses are low, 
and built of earth and cane. The villagers are of a 
dark complexion, but many of the women are fair 
and have peculiarly sweet voices. 

Buenos Ayres, the capital of the provinces of the 
Rio de La Plata, has an ancient and gloomy ap- 
pearance from the water; but the traveller, on 
landing, finds much to be pleased with. The streets 
cross each other at right angles, and are mostly 
paved, with good side-walks. A street runs along 
the beach, parallel with the river, nearly the whole 
extent of the city, from which there is nothing to 
shade the prospect of the pedestrian, who can en- 
joy, in his early rambles, the pure and balmy breath 
of the morning, (which are here, in this southern 
latitude, particularly fine) and behold the great 
king of day rising in the east, as from the bed of 
the ocean. At the edge of the water, and below 
the banks, he may see, too, from the earliest dawn 
till noon, an immense number of black washer wo- 



103 

men, who line the whole extent of the shore, for all 
the washing is performed in this manner. They bring 
down upon their heads, large trays of clothing to the 
river, and select a hole or natural excavation in the 
tuskers of sand, which the ebbing tide has filled with 
water, and which is covered with grass; and kneel- 
ing upon the ground, with their pipes or cigars in 
their mouths, commence their labor, which is by 
beating instead of rubbing. They are, however, call- 
ed excellent in their business, and clean clothing is 
considered by all ranks as an indispensable requisite. 

During the warm months of summer, it is the 
practice in which all ranks partake, to enjoy, after a 
sultry and dusty day, the charming refreshment of 
bathing. From an hour before sunset till dark, may 
be seen, in the place before occupied by the washers, 
a mixed multitude of many hundreds of both sexes 3 
and of all classes and ages, old men and children, 
young men and maidens, promiscuously, and appar- 
ently with much pleasure, performing their daily 
and healthy ablutions. 

But start not my fair reader! Though this mix- 
ed assemblage, so employed, would appear to the 
refined citizen of the north to savor of a want of 
propriety, yet this luxury is enjoyed without any 
deviation from decency or good breeding. Such is 
the force of custom. Whole families, even the cler- 
gyman, with his household, come down and enter 
the water together. The females of all ranks gen- 
erally form separate parties, and are each attended 



104 

to the water side by a female slave, who carries a 
change of dress and a bathing habit. Then seated 
on the grass and. enveloped in a sheet, they disrobe 
beneath their ample covering, slip on the camisa, 
and trip into the water. There is no appearance 
of impropriety, but all seem only bent on refreshing 
themselves, and improving this ready and cheap 
bath, after the heat and the dust of the day. Let 
the following anecdote corroborate. I was one af- 
ternoon, after my disaster, indulging in my favorite 
recreation of swimming, at a time when the tide 
was fast flowing and the waves beating to the 
shore. I had reached some distance from the beach, 
and had gained and stood resting upon a small emi- 
nence at the bottom, with my head only above wa- 
ter. I was desirous of trying my former feats under 
water, and partly forgetting my disabled leg, I 
plunged beneath the surface and swam a great dis- 
tance farther from the bank. On rising, I perceived 
the tide was fast conveying me up the river, and it 
would require my strongest efforts to recover the 
shore, for the waves ran quick and short. I want- 
ed breath, and on the ability of my lame limb I had 
placed too much dependence. I attempted in vain 
to reach the Mole Head, and the lone sentry at the 
end stood wondering at the motions of an object so 
far within the stream. Finding my situation ex- 
tremely hazardous, and wishing no impediment, I 
stripped off my nankin pantaloons, threw them to 
the waves behind me, and made a last, anxjous and 



105 

resolute push to the land. I succeeded so far as 
to reach a tusker or sand bank, at the bottom, and 
on tiptoe I could keep my chin above water, and 
balancing myself to the undulating swell of the 
waves, I sufficiently rested myself, and luckily re- 
gained my pantaloons, which came drifting along by 
me. Taking a leg of this garment in my teeth, I 
ventured another stretch, which brought me breast 
high on the sand. I there drew on my covering, 
and searched along for my dress. Various groups 
had assembled on the beach during my aquatic ex- 
cursion, and I was concerned for the loss of my 
clothes. A black, female slave at last came to- 
wards me, whose mistress she said had sent her to 
inform me that 'she had removed my articles of 
dress higher up the banks, to a safe deposit e, as 
the rise of the tide had threatened to sweep them 
away.' I sent back for answer, that 'Ifelt infinitely 
obliged to her, and would cheerfully, on a similar 
occasion, reciprocate the favor.' 

At the extremity of the city, on an elevated plain, 
is the Plaza de los Toras, in the midst of which ap- 
pears a vast amphitheatre for exhibiting the barba- 
rous amusement, or rather cruel spectacle, of a Bull 
Bait. These take p-ace in summer, of the afternoons 
of Sundays, and sometimes on other holidays. Their 
description must be shocking to the feelings, but the 
relation of the revolting scenes certainly may be pe- 
rused, when many of the softer sex are there the 
applauding witnesses. 



106 

The bulls are taken from the wild herds in the 
interior, and they capture those of the most fierce 
and wild character; in other words, those that will 
give the most sport. These are driven by force and 
stratagem into the adjoining stables, where their nat- 
ural ferocity is increased for several days, by starving 
and goading, and otherwise tormenting them. 

These exhibitions are generally fully attended, 
and by a third part ladies. The circular and rising 
seats of this amphitheatre, will contain and will af- 
ford an equal view of the fight to ten or twelve 
thousand. On one of these sights, I remember to 
have seen ten bulls, six horses and one human 
being killed, and another wounded, in the space of 
three hours. 

'Every thing being ready, the bulls remained to 
be driven across the area from the stables where they 
were, to a smaller stable behind the amphitheatre, 
where each was to be kept apart. The first stable 
was not far from the amphitheatre, and a wall of 
boards six feet high was put up the whole way 
the bulls were to pass. At a quarter past four the 
ten bulls were let into the area, in order to be put 
into the stables at the opposite door; a man on 
foot led a tame ox, which had been bred with the 
bulls, before, to decoy them into these: they fol- 
lowed the ox very quietly; but they do not always 
do so. The three horsemen placed themselves at 
some distance, one on each side of, and the other 
opposite to the door at which the bull was to enter; 



107 

the tap of a drum was the signal to let a bull 
in, and the man who opened the door got behind it 
immediately. 

During this last quarter of an hour the bulls had 
been teazed by pricking them in the backs; this is 
done by persons placed on the ceiling of the stables, 
which was low, and consisted only of a plank laid 
here and there, and between those planks was space 
enough to use any instrument for that purpose. 
The bulls were distinguished by a small knot of 
ribbon fixed to their shoulders, the different colors 
of which shew where they were bred, which is known 
by the advertisements. 

The bull made at the first horseman, who receiv- 
ed him on the point of the spear, held in the middle 
tight to his side, and passing under his arm pit, 
which making a wide gash in the bull's shoulder, 
occasioned him to draw back, the blood running in 
torrents; the force with which the bull ran at the 
man, was so great, that the shock had nearly over- 
set him and his horse, It was then another man's 
turn to wound the bull, as only one is to cope with 
it at a time. They are never allowed to attack 
the bull, but must wait the animal's approach. The 
bull trotted into the middle of the area, and stared 
about, frighted by the clapping and hallooing of the 
multitude. The man on horseback always facing 
the beast, and turning when it turned; it then ran 
at the horse, and got another wound in the breast, 
and a third from the next horseman it attacked. It 



108 

was now become mad with pain, the blood issuing 
from its mouth in streams, and faintness made it 
stagger; its eyes 'flashed fury,' it pawed up the 
ground, and lashed its sides with its tail; its breath 
was impetuously discharged like smoke from its 
nostrils, so that its head appeared as if in a mist. 
A drum then sounded, which was a signal for the 
horsemen to retire; and the men on foot began 
their attack, sticking barbed darts into every part 
of its body; the torture they inflicted made the 
bull leap from the ground, and run furiously at one 
of the men, who jumped aside; the bull then turn- 
ed to another man, who had just stuck a dart into 
his back; the man took to his heels, and leaped 
over the rails, where he was safe; in this manner 
all the men continued tormenting the bull, who 
could hardly stand through loss of blood. The 
drum then sounded again, upon which the mata- 
dor appeared, with a cloak extended on a short 
stick in his left hand, and in his right a two-edged 
sword, the blade of which was flat, four inches 
broad, and a yard long; he stood still, and at the 
moment the bull in the agonies of despair and death, 
made at him, he plunged the sword into the spine 
behind the beast's horns, which instantly made it 
drop down dead. If the matador misses his aim, 
and cannot defend himself with the cloak, he loses 
his life, as the bull exerts all its remaining strength 
with an almost inconceivable fury. The dead bull 
was immediately dragged out of the area by three 



109 

horses on a full gallop, whose traces were fastened 
to its horns. A quarter of an hour was elapsed, 
which is the time allowed for the murder of each 
bull, five minutes to the horsemen, five to the foot- 
men, and five to the slayer. 

Another bull was then let in; this was the wildest 
and most furious of any I ever saw. The horse- 
man missed his aim, and the bull thrust his horns 
into the horse's belly, making the bowels hang out; 
the horse became ungovernable, so that the man 
was obliged to dismount and abandon it to the bull 9 
who pursued it round the area, till the horse fell 
and expired. Four other horses were successively 
killed by this bull, which till then, had only receiv- 
ed slight wounds, though one of the horses had kick- 
ed its jaw to pieces. One of the horsemen broke 
his spear in the bull's neck, and horse and rider fell 
to the ground; the rider broke his leg, and was car- 
ried off. The footmen then fell to work again, and 
afterwards the metador put an end to the life of 
this valiant animal, whose strength and courage 
were unavailing to save it. The third bull killed 
two horses, goring them under the belly, so that 
the intestines hung trailing on the ground. The 
seventh bull likewise killed two horses. In this 
manner were ten bulls massacred, and the whole 
concluded in two hours and a half. The bull's flesh 
was immediately sold to the populace at ten quar- 
tos per pound, which is about three pence. 

When the last bull had been sufficiently wounded 
10 



110 

by the horsemen, the mob were allowed to enter 
the area; they attacked the bull on all sides, and 
killed it with their knives and daggers. The bull 
sometimes tosses some of these fellows over its 
head.' 

It should be remembered that in the interior, 
around the circle, are double walls of oak, with 
sally ports to the inner one, and a passage way 
between them of three feet wide. These apertures 
are sufficient to admit a man, but the toro cannot 
enter. Through these, when hotly pursued, the 
gladiator will escape, and the bull vents his rage on 
the impregnable walls. 

A powerful black bull was now let in, and made 
instantly and without a stop, at the horseman, who 
stood ready, twenty feet from the door, with his 
spear firmly balanced and pointed to receive him. 
The aim was true, but the point struck a bone, 
which threw the horse upon his hind legs, and a 
lance twelve feet long, of an arm's thickness, was 
shivered to pieces. The furious animal directly 
pursued his advantage, and the horse was over- 
thrown, with the rider underneath him, whose case 
was at this time extremely dangerous. Generally, 
at the first wound of the spear, the bull will turn 
off in another direction; but when they push on, as 
those of a savage nature sometimes will, the horse 
is thrown to the ground, and the spearsman's situ- 
ation is, of course, very perilous. Such was the 
wonderful strength of the bull in this case, that the 



Ill 

struggling horse was lifted free from the ground by 
the surprising power of his enemy's horns, appar- 
ently with the ease that an apple might be raised by 
a fork, With difficulty, however, the rider extrica- 
ted himself, and attempted to fly. The gladiators 
on foot ran to his rescue, and attempted, with their 
bright colored mantles, to draw off the beast and 
divert him from his purpose; but mad with rage, 
and scorning their efforts, he jumped across the 
prostrate horse, (drawing out his horns from his 
body) and quickly pursued his biped foe. The lat- 
ter strained every nerve to reach the port-hole, 
and one hand was even within it, but the horns of 
his pursuer were the next instant in his ribs, and he 
was impaled against the wall. He was an old man ? 
of a dreadful, cruel and relentless countenance; had 
committed many unprovoked murders, and was once 
condemned to be shot; but he chose rather to hazard 
his life weekly against wild beasts in the ring, and 
at last, having been twenty years so perilously em- 
ployed, was thus killed by a brute of a nature near- 
ly akin to his own. 

At any feat of dexterity from the gladiator, 
handfuls of dollars are sometimes thrown by the 
rich spectators, which he deliberately picks up and 
pockets, amid the shouts of 'bravo!' and the waving 
of handkerchiefs. 

A party will sometimes be seated and regaling 
themselves at a table opposite the doors in the lists, 
and a bull will be let out upon them, at which they 



112 

take to flight, with their bottles; except one bold 
fellow, who leaps from the table, vaulting over the 
bull's horns, and lights straddling upon his back, fac- 
ing his tail, while chairs, table, &c, are tossed about 
his head. At other times, a solitary fighter will 
be stationed on one knee, a few feet from the en- 
trance, with a short thick pike, very sharp, pointed 
toward the door, with the butt end firmly fixed in 
the ground, and wait the victim's approach. This 
is the most ready way of death; for the bull, dri- 
ving at the object, makes fiercely for the recum- 
bent and watchful foe, but drops before he reaches 
him, for the pike head is buried in his brain. But 
enough has been said of such heart-hardening scenes. 
We will now turn to a custom of less savage, and 
of a wholly different character — to the three holi- 
days, (which they zealously celebrate) called the 
time of 'Carnival.' On these days, all business is 
suspended, and woe to the landed stranger, of what- 
ever rank, who shall attempt to pass through the 
streets of the city. The flat and low roofs of the 
houses, are thronged with the women, whose slaves 
have provided them with a large supply of water in 
tubs, and with which they inundate the luckless 
passenger below. The field officer on horseback, 
and the poor paysano from the country, share alike 
the effects of their deluging streams — the horsemen 
will by speed attempt to escape the shower; but 
tubs are emptied far in advance, from the watchful 
throng above, in quick succession. 



113 

The men are no less busy in the streets, annoy- 
ing the other sex, who are frequently pursued even 
to their inner chambers. No offence can be or must 
be taken, and no redress may be expected for mis- 
chief done. 

Many of the boys get a few rials, by the carrying 
about in baskets and vending of egg shells, filled 
with scented water and closed with wax, which the 
men buy and pocket, and pelt every female with 
them, who inconsiderately exposes herself to their 
attacks. On a time like this, I once saw from my 
lodgings, a party of a dozen, who assailed a house 
a short distance below, on the opposite side of the 
street. The windows have iron gratings from top 
to bottom, by means of which, a persoii can ascend 
and scale the walls and gain the roof. A part of 
these sporters made this attempt, while the women 
on the terrace, assisted by their slaves, discharged 
their torrents and poured a flood on the heads of 
the besiegers. They at last gained the terrace, 
and the women fled to their lower apartments, pur- 
sued by the enemy. Here they made a stand and 
beseeched their invaders to proceed no farther, and 
appealed to the honor and generosity of cavalleros, 
not to invade the privacy of a lady's chamber. The 
appeal was effective, and they instantly desisted and 
turned to retire; but seeing the enemy's magazines 
of water in large, low hogsheads, and the slaves who 
had so obstinately repulsed them standing near, 
they could not resist the temptation, and siezing 
*10 



114 

at once the screaming blacks, they deliberately 
plunged them headlong into the vessels, and made 
a speedy retreat. 

The Theatre is a low and miserable looking edifice, 
(though a new one was remaining unfinished) and 
the performers at a par with the building. It is, 
however, well attended, and the second or upper 
range of seats is filled wholly with women. The 
prompter's head appears from an aperture in the 
centre of the stage, with a lamp before him, and 
whose voice is as audible as the players, who repeat 
after him. I went once to see Shakspeare murdered, 
and a scene in the afterpiece furnished a circum- 
stance that will afford a finishing picture to this 
brief outline. The farce was called the 'Haunted 
House, 5 the possessor of which wished to get rid of 
Bis nocturnal and troublesome visiters. He had 
summoned a procession of the holy order to purify 
the premises; but the number of players, otherwise 
fully engaged, being too small for this purpose, they 
hit upon a very ready though outre expedient to 
supply the deficiency. The church of San Domingo 
stood on the opposite corner, and application was 
there made, upon the pinch, for a supply of its dis- 
ciples, and a dozen were engaged at a rial a piece. 
These shortly appeared upon the stage, in propria 
persona, with belt and hood, and holy water, which 
they sprinkled profusely arouad, chaunting 'Anda 
te diablo.* 
There is a conveyance*— a clumsy vehicle, drawn 



115 

by six horses — which leaves here once a month for 
Chili, proceeding as far as the foot of the Andes. 
Here, leaving their horses, the travellers are obliged 
to mount on mules, as being more sure footed than 
horses, and the passages over the mountains are, at 
certain places, narrow and dangerous. The mule 
only can be here rode with safety, on account of 
the narrow passages winding along the sides of these 
stupendous mountains. The astonished traveller, 
when traversing along this ridge of frightful precipi- 
ces, beholds with dismay the yawning chasms be- 
neath him, where the least mis-step would infallibly 
and irrecoverably plunge him in the fearful abyss be- 
below. He follows, in breathless silence, the slow 
and steady motions of his guide, who directs him to 
slack his reins, to preserve perfect silence, to leave 
the beast to its own guidance, and even if tottering 
with dizziness, to close his eyes. These injunctions 
need no repetition. Sometimes, in the lower places, 
in thick and misty weather, the guides will lose the 
track and wander till they regain it several days in 
the snow. This a Dutch captain once told me was 
his case, and he was much harrassed by the hard 
riding, and sick even at the sight of a horse. The 
passage is generally performed in about twenty 
days, and the distance from Buenos Ayres to St. 
Jago or Lima, is about four hundred leagues. 

During the war with the royalists in the interior, 
the Buenos Ayrean troops, gained many important 
victories. On these occasions the pubHc square was 
splendidly decorated, having arches formed of large 



116 

trees, and on the branches in the centre of each of 
these, were suspended lamps, and all the verdant 
pillars were profusely supplied with large wax can- 
dles, of a yard in length and of an arm's thickness, 
as well as the monument in the centre, which, when 
lighted in the evening, produce the brilliancy of a 
noon-day blaze. 

A large platform was erected on one of these oc- 
casions, in the midst of the square, and a grand 
dance performed by a volunteer party of young 
gentlemen, who were arrayed in the fashion of the 
native Peruvians, having a flesh colored velvet dress, 
with a band of large variegated feathers around 
their heads, and another about the loins. They 
w r ent through the evolutions with much grace and 
received great applause. The music was by a su- 
perior band, which was placed on an elevated sta- 
tion a short distance from them. 

Horses, bullocks, dogs and sheep, in these vast 
regions, run wild, in immense flocks and herds. 
The swine are of small size, and always black. The 
hunters, at certain seasons, form parties to procure 
the hides and tallow of the wild cattle, and leave 
the carcases to be devoured by the dogs. 

These latter animals abound here in infinite va- 
riety and numbers. Here may be seen the bull dog, 
mastiff, pointer, water dog, terrier, spaniel, butcher, 
shepherd, and ship dog, and sometimes all in a com- 
pany together. Some of them are of formidable 
size, and often dangerous to the traveller, as I once 
experienced. 



117 

On a lovely morning — during my lameness — in 
the month of February, which is, in this latitude, 
mid-summer, I took my fowling piece, and at day 
break sauntered along the river side after game. 
Before the sun rises, ducks are often plenty about 
the little ponds at the extremity of the city. I 
wanted to try my gun, and a drove of horses pass- 
ing slowly along enabled me to approach within 
shot of a couple of large birds, like cranes, which 
were stalking about in the water. I fired and killed 
one and wounded the other, who made off with his 
broken wing into the water, and the dead one I 
drew up on the beach and hid him in the grass, re- 
solving to take him on my return. He measured 
nearly five feet high, his legs being two feet long, 
of a bright red; his neck was very long, and his 
body covered with beautiful snow white plumage. 
Proceeding, I found the ducks were, at this time, 
unusually shy, and I had got but half a dozen. I 
then put in a heavier charge and larger shot, in 
hopes of touching a group of swans which I saw in a 
small pond far ahead, but could not get near them, 
and the sun being now up, I resolved to strike 
across the fields and gain the high road to the city, 
from which I had wandered nearly two miles. In 
passing through some olive trees, I was started bj 
a rustling noise on my left, which caused me to turn 
round, when I saw a large dog cutting through the 
bushes, open mouthed, towards me! As I knew I 
must fight, for I could not run, I grounded the 



118 

breech of my gun, and in an erect and steady atti- 
tude, hoping to dismay him, awaited his coming up. 
He soon did so, making directly towards me, and 
trying, with great ferocity, to get a bite at my leg 
behind. This I found he soon would succeed in, 
and with a quick movement I altered my position, 
and bending down, presented my piece with the 
muzzle to his head, and following him round as he 
endeavored to get behind me, he being within a few 
inches, I hastily cocked and fired. He received 
in his shoulder the whole charge of swan shot, yet 
desisted not. Seizing then the barrel, I gave him a 
blow with the butt of the gun, and forced him to 
yield, when he set up a yell, and went howling upon 
three legs. I instantly began to reload, for I saw a 
second dog, equally formidable, approaching at full 
speed, to assist his companion. The latter luckily 
fell down as the second dog reached him, who smelt 
for a moment about his prostrate comrade, then 
turned tail and retreated. 

The milk is brought in and cried about the city 
by country boys, from seven to fourteen years old ; 
on horseback, who have a peculiar song of their 
own, which I never could interpret, by which they 
give notice of their approach. The milk is con- 
tained in earthen jugs, placed in panniers made of 
hide, on each side of the horse, holding three jugs 
each. Notwithstanding the infinity of horses, I 
never saw a mare in the streets of Buenos Ayres; 
and a person riding one would be subject to derision 



119 

and abuse, as much as if he were mounted on a cow, 
mares being kept only for breeding. Horses may 
here be bought from one to twenty dollars, but 
mules are much more valuable — not for being less 
plenty, but because they are more difficult to tame, 
and are truly of a most perverse and obstinate na- 
ture. They are sometimes exported to the Cape 
of Good Hope. 

A vessel at sea had once a cargo of these beasts 
on board, when a violent storm arose, in which they 
broke from their fasts in the hold and ascended 
upon deck; here they fell to kicking and biting, and 
drove the mariners aloft, and the man at the helm 
also fled. The bark carried away her masts, and 
every thing threatened a wreck. At last, by the 
help of some spars, they succeeded in pushing a 
dozen of their mad passengers overboard; and driv- 
ing the rest below, regained command of the ship, 
and put back for repairs. 

Leopards, lions and wild cats are plenty, but I 
do not think their natures so savage as those of Af- 
rica. The leopards, which they call tigres, are very 
large, and their beautiful skins are sold very cheap. 

The ostriches are very strong birds, and will ride 
a stout boy on their backs. They eat the most in- 
digestive substances, such as iron, stone and wood. 
They are a coarse and dirty looking bird, and those 
bright and tasty feathers they afford, are plucked 
from their tails, where the long ones only grow. 

Fruits of many kinds are plenty, especially mel- 



120 

oris, grapes and peaches. These, as well as every 
thing else in this most fertile country, are cultiva- 
ted with little labor, and the soil, I believe, would 
produce, in abundance and perfection, every thing 
desired, if the natives were not too careless and in- 
dolent to bestow an effort to cultivate them. This 
indolence, it has been said, may be attributed to 
this very fertility of soil and softness of climate, 
and as the earth here gives her increase without 
much labor, they have not the necessity for toil as 
those of a less yielding and more rocky region. 

The general character of the people of these vast 
provinces is mild and peaceable; they are rather 
indolent, but hospitable in the extreme. They are 
incessant smokers, and fond of a sip from a gourd 
shell of the favorite yerba, rather than the stronger 
liquors. This yerba is an indispensable beverage 
with all ranks, and is instantly made by merely 
pouring hot water (which is ever at hand) to the 
matte, in the shell. They suck this very hot, through 
a tube. This liquor is always offered to visiters, 
and passed and repassed from guest to guest. 

The women are generally below the usual stature, 
with expressive black eyes, black hair, flute-like 
voices, and dress and walk when abroad with much 
circumspection, and flirt the fan — their constant 
appendage — with exquisite grace and skill. The 
complexions of some are tinged; but many, as I 
before observed, are extremely fair; and some, I 
have thought, approached, in form and feature, the 



121 

nearest to the perfection of beauty of any I had 
ever seen. The country girls smoke cigars, and all 
the sex are extremely fond of flowers, which they 
rear in great profusion and in infinite variety. On 
entering the hospitable and social dwellings of the 
farmers, the matte cnp, the cigar and a bunch of 
flowers, are a ways presented. They are remarka- 
bly temperate, and I have often seen the teamsters 
at a pulperia or shop, passing around a single glass 
of aguadente, or rum, which they would leisurely sip, 
and which was amply sufficient for half a dozen 
men. 

The country carts, in which they transport their 
produce from the interior, deserve notice. They are 
the most awkward, heavy and singular vehicles ever 
seen; and one of them passing through our streets, 
would attract as much notice as a moving menage- 
rie. The cart is, in fact, about the height of a two 
story house, the sides and roof formed of flags and 
cane, but the bottom of hard and solid wood, which, 
with the wheels, are monstrously clumsy. On the 
front part of the wagon, under the arched roof, in 
an elevated station, sits the driver. Over his head 
is suspended and poised, a stout pole, of great 
length, which extends from the cart to the foremost 
of the six yoke of oxen; the end of this is spear- 
pointed, and by moving the inner end, he can 
touch and guide the leading yoke. In his hand he 
holds a shorter pole, also pointed, with which he 
governs the nearer cattle. Lashed on with hide 
11 



122 

strings, at the tail of the cart, is a large earthen 
jar, of twenty gallons, to contain water. Thus fur- 
nished, the machine moves at a slow pace, and as 
they never grease the axles, the creak of the wheels 
may be heard a mile distant. 

When the caravan halts to encamp, they choose 
a vacant and convenient place, and making a fire, 
prepare for supper. They drive stakes into the 
ground, on which, against the fire, they stretch a 
piece of beef to roast, and then squatting in a cir- 
cle around, and with a kettle of matte only, thus 
eat their simple but plentiful meal, with great rel- 
ish, without bread or salt, the remnants of which 
last them through the next day. 

At the vesper hour in the city, at sun set, the 
stranger who walks the streets is amazed at the 
sudden and simultaneous stop of the passing multi- 
tude at the solemn toll of the bell. Looking around 
him, he sees each uncovered passenger standing- 
like a statue, and every sound is hushed to silence. 

In passing a church, all ranks lift the hat; even 
the milk boy, and the abovementioned wagoner, 
will simultaneously raise his sombrero. 

Another equally superstitious and universal cus- 
tom deserves a passing notice. I was once, on a 
fine afternoon, about sun set, seated at an extensive 
table, in the spacious court yard of a coffee house, 
amidst a vast number of officers, priests, and citi- 
zens, partaking of a cup of their excellent cafe solo y 
when suddenly was heard., at a distance, the tinkling 



123 

of a small bell, of a well known and peculiar sound. 
Every one present, even to the waiters, hastily left 
their seats, and thronging to the doors and windows, 
fell upon their knees and awaited the approach of 
the sacred host. A heavy, old fashioned coach, 
profusely gilt, drawn by four mules, soon slowly ap- 
peared, surrounded with a guard of four soldiers. 
When abreast of the prostrate devotees, they all 
fell to crossing themselves and repeating the pater 
nosier. This venerable carriage contains a holy 
father, who goes to administer the sacrament of 
extreme unction to some departing catholic. Fre- 
quently in passing the street, I have been obliged, 
at the sound of this reverenced bell, to step over 
the heads of the kneeling group at the door, and 
retreat from the indignity of kneeling to an old 
coach and half starved mules. Obedience to this 
rite, even from strangers, is rigidly enforced; and 
an English naval captain, in full dress for a ball, 
was once compelled to get upon his knees, and arose 
vowing vengeance and leaving his scented cambric 
handkerchief in the mud. 

There is a nunnery of a very strict order in the 
lower part of the city, and I once had lodgings 
within the sound of its midnight bell, whose solemn 
toll, at the dead hour of twelve, summoned the in- 
mates to their nightly devotions. 

The ceremony of taking the veil is extremely 
impressive and affecting. The individual, I believe, 
has her own unbiassed choice, in thus retreating 



124 

from the world, and the motives probably are los* 
of friends, unhappy attachments, or, perhaps, a 
melancholy disposition. The parent or guardian 
pays a large sum to the institution, and the appli- 
cant is admitted on trial. At the expiration of thi3 
term, if she still resolves to embrace this solitary 
life, she confirms her purpose in the assembled 
church, by taking the veil. 

In one case, a modest young creature, about the 
age of sixteen, interesting, beautiful, and just 
blooming into womanhood, was presented to the 
gaze of the spectators, and appeared to attest to 
this mournful resolution. As her attendants un- 
bound her hair, and the ample tresses fell upon her 
shoulders, and the profusion of jetty ringlets were se- 
vered from her reclining and finely formed head, there 
arose in the mind a throb of painful feeling, from 
the contemplation that this fair being was about 
taking a last look at the bright scenes around her ; 
and that such youth and beauty should be immured 
for life within the cold walls of a convent, and the 
ends of creation be thus perverted by the iron sway 
of tyrant custom. 

These absurd ceremonies are derived from the 
all pervading influence of the priests, who blind the 
eyes of the people, and strive to keep them in igno- 
rance and error. Even the blessing and privilege 
of possessing and reading the bible is denied them; 
indeed, but few of the lower class can read at all. 

To keep up their power, the priests use every 



125 

means to prevent the spread of knowledge; for full 
well they know, that should the minds of the people 
be enlightened, common sense would prevail, and 
they would awake to their impositions, and throw 
off the debasing yoke of superstition; and priestcraft 
would expire. 

The multitude of padres, priests, friars, clericos 
and church dependents, is incredible, and compose 
a large portion of the population. They may be 
seen in all places, with full, contented faces, under 
their broad brimmed hats, reverenced and bowed to 
by all; living upon the fat of the land, and one may 
enter without ceremony all parts of any house at any 
hour, without fear of interruption, on leaving his 
hat and cane in the passage — 'he is confessing the 
females, and must not be disturbed.' 

There is one of the canine species here, as also 
in Brazil, of a mouse color and without hair! At 
Ensenada, I saw one of this kind; he was full grown, 
though not larger than a rat. His body was of a 
jet black, with a shining, smooth skin, without hair 
or even down, excepting at the tip of his tail and 
on the crown of his head. He was of a perfect and 
handsome form, nimble in his motions, and would 
bark and play with the manners of a lady's lap dog. 
I regretted that I could not obtain him, for I con- 
sidered him a very curious animal. 

Fish in great plenty swarm in the river, and are 
some of them of a beautiful appearance. In the 
market, some may be seen for sale, four feet long, 
#11 



126 

with gold colored scales, some of a silvery hue, and 
a great variety of other kinds, of which, a species 
of fresh water cat fish are the most numerous, and 
the cheapest. 

Beef is sold without weighing, often at seventy 
five cents per quarter; and a whole sheep, ready 
dressed, for twenty five cents! 

The slaves are always well used and fed, and the 
majority appear to be as much at leisure, and full 
as happy as their masters. 

In the warm months of summer, between the 
hours of two and four, a person may walk through 
the city and not meet any moving object, a death- 
like stillness pervading the once bustling and crowd- 
ed streets. From the scorching rays of a verticle 
sun, they retire to the recesses and shades, to enjoy, 
in the arms of Morpheus, their favorite siesta, or 
afternoon nap. At .this time, none but dogs and 
Englishmen, they say, (by which term they mean 
all foreigners) are to be seen in the streets. The 
shutters of the shops and houses are closed; the 
muleteers and peones are snoring under thepiazzas^ 
and the dogs are stretched out under cover; while 
the shopkeeper is sleeping on his counter, and the 
drayman under the shadow of his cart. I have said 
they are enjoying their siesta, but there is one draw- 
back upon their comfort — -fleas /—which here abound 
in numbers without number. The habitations hav- 
ing all brick floors, afford ample retreats for these 
formidable disturbers of dreams* 



127 

The paysanos are wonderfully expert on horseback ; 
yet having for a saddle, only a few pieces of square 
cloth and leather, and triangular wooden stirrups, 
with green hide straps, into which they hook the 
great toe. Their method of catching the wild cat- 
tle is very dexterous and singular. They are pro- 
vided with lassos, which is a strip of hide line thirty 
feet long, with an iron ring and noose at one end, and 
the other secured to the saddle, at the side of which 
the coil is suspended. Having selected an animal 
from the herd, the guacha takes the coil in his hand, 
and swinging it fairly around his head a few times, 
still in chase, throws out the noose with surprising 
good aim, the distance of twenty feet, which fails 
over the bullock's head, and turning his horse, 
draws tight and secures him by his horns; another 
hunter in the rear then throws a second noose, which 
entraps his hind legs, and by pulling in opposite di- 
rections, the bull is easily overthrown. 

The estancias, or large farms, in the interior, are 
very productive and profitable, and the fertility of 
the soil and the salubrity of the climate, in these 
provinces, render the profession of the physician 
little room for active service. 

To conclude — the people, by which I mean the 
middling and higher classes, are of amiable disposi- 
tions, strong natural sense, eager for information, 
and ardent lovers of liberty; highly honoring their 
military chieftains, and often speaking with en-^ 
thusiastic pride of the heroic and beloved Bolivai\ 



128 

The march of mind, in these vast territories, must 
keep pace with the rapid strides of liberty, and truth 
and knowledge will ultimately prevail over despotism 
and superstition. Living in this delightful clime, and 
possessing this fruitful soil, with their devoted love 
of country, and their ardent thirst for knowledge, 
the speculative and contemplative mind of the phi- 
losopher and philanthropist may look forward — 
piercing the veil of futurity — and behold the native 
of Paraguay and the rough Patagonian, enjoying 
with the Chilian and the Peruvian, the invaluable 
blessing of an enlightened government; and tribes 
yet unknown, filling, at the sound of the Sabbath 
bell, the consecrated temples of the Most High. 

Far in the west, beneath auspicious skies, 
In fertile vales, see mighty nations rise! 
Where the stain 'd savage chas'd the bounding deer.. 
See crowded marts and towering spires appear. 
In eastern climes, though freedom's torch expires, 
Here it shall flame, and still increase its fires. 
On fam'd Parnassus, tho' extinct her light, 
It proudly burns on Chimborazo's height. 
Sad Greece! with foes in fearful odds at bay, 
While christian nations doubt to join the fray, 
And friends forsake, nor prayers nor valor heed — 
(Shame to their souls!) — in this thy utmost need. 
Yet courage, Greece! thy cherish'd name shall live, 
And in its ancient glory shall revive; 
Yes! freedom's car o'er every realm shall roll, 
And spread her choicest gifts from pole to pole; 
Oppression's chains to endless night be hurl'd, 
And Independence crown a smiling world? 



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